Ties of Blood
by Ilex the Elder
Summary: A mysterious ring destroys the lives of two people Ash loves and forces him to confront the secret his mother kept from him for years.
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I originally started this story last October, but never finished it because I thought it was way too dark and didn't think people would be too keen on it. However, after reading Blackjack Gabbiani's wonderful fic _Amethyst Remembrance_, I was inspired to complete this. However, be warned that this fic is a bit different from what I've written until now. Tissues may be in order for some of the later chapters. 

And Blackjack, I did made Jiri less evil this time! 

TIES OF BLOOD

"Yuck, what is all this stuff, Professor?" Tracey asked as he removed a tarp covering a pile of boxes and assorted items in the attic of the Oak house. He began to sneeze violently as the dust started billowing up in clouds. It was April and he and Professor Oak were in the middle of spring cleaning.

"Just some odds and ends from my various travels in my younger days," Professor Oak said as he waved the dust away. "Things I picked up during my Pokémon research expeditions."

"Like this?" Tracey grinned as he held up a half-naked wooden carving of a well-endowed young woman.

"Give me that," a red-faced Professor Oak scowled as he snatched the statue out of his young assistant's hands.

"Maybe you should show that to Mrs. Ketchum," Tracey said with a giggle. "She might get a kick out of…hey, what's this?" Tracey had discovered an old trunk and was trying to pry it open.

"More things from my travels," Professor Oak continued as he hid the topless statue in a nearby box. Tracey lifted the lid on the trunk and peered inside. "Wow! Look at all of this stuff."

Professor Oak knelt down next to his assistant and began to examine the items inside the trunk. "Most of this stuff came from my journey to the Manzanilla Islands about twenty years ago."

"What's this, Professor?" Tracey asked curiously as he held up a small velvet box.

"Oh my, I had forgotten all about this," Professor Oak exclaimed as he opened the box. "I had bought this for my wife from a street vendor in Naranjita. She died before I had a chance to give it to her," Professor Oak continued sadly. 

"It's pretty," Tracey said as he examined the ring lying inside the box. It was gold and shaped like the head of a Kadabra. The only difference was that instead of the red star-shaped symbol that was normally in the center of the Pokémon's forehead, there was a small, clear stone. As Tracey held the ring up to the light to get a better look, the stone began to glow. "Wow, look at that."

"Unusual stone," Professor Oak murmured as he watched the rays of light dance inside the stone, forming a multitude of tiny rainbows.

"Bet Mrs. Ketchum would like this," Tracey said as he gave his boss a friendly nudge.

"Bet Mrs. Ketchum would like what?" said a female voice.

"Oh, Tracey and I were doing some spring cleaning," Professor Oak smiled as Delia came up the attic stairs. 

"My, what a pretty ring!" Delia exclaimed. "Can I see it, Tracey?" Tracey handed her the ring and she slipped in on her finger. "It's beautiful," she said admiringly as she watched the crystal in the Kadabra's forehead sparkle in the sunlight. 

Tracey gave his boss a "I told you so" look.

"Do you really like it, Delia?" Professor Oak asked as he took her hand in his and admired the ring sparkling on her finger.

"Oh yes, it's lovely," Delia smiled.

The delighted expression on her face alone was worth it. "Then it's yours," he replied.

Delia's mouth fell open in disbelief. "Really? You mean it?"

"I mean it," he smiled. "Consider it a birthday present."

"Samuel, you know my birthday isn't for another five months," she teased.

"Well then, consider it an early birthday present."

"Oh, thank you, darling!" Delia wrapped her arms around him and the two started kissing.

"Uh, I think I'll leave you two alone," Tracey smiled as he headed for the attic stairs.

"You know, Delia," Samuel whispered as he nuzzled her neck, "That ring could be for something else if you want."

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Delia replied as she ran her hand through his silver-streaked hair.

"I mean, would you like for that ring to be an engagement ring instead?"

Delia gasped. "You…you don't mean…?"

With some difficulty, he found a clear space among the boxes and dropped to one knee. "I've been meaning to ask you for some time, Delia, but now seems like as good a time as any." He took a deep breath, took the hand that wore the Kadabra ring in his, and looked deeply into the eyes of the woman he had loved for years. "Will you marry me?"

"Oh, Samuel," Delia's hand flew to her mouth as she choked back tears of joy. "Yes!" She then threw herself into his arms and the two tumbled backwards into a pile of dusty boxes. As they kissed, the two started laughing in between sneezes.

--- 

Later that evening, Professor Oak lay in bed reminiscing about the afternoon's events. First he had finally asked Delia to marry him ("Well, it's about time!" Tracey had said when they told him the good news.), then the two had spent a blissful afternoon making love (after sending Tracey on an errand to Pewter City).

"Darling," Delia had said as she laid her head against his chest. "When would you like to get married?"

"Doesn't matter to me," he replied as he kissed her hair. "Whenever you like."

"How about Christmas? That'll give us plenty of time to get everything ready."

"Christmas? That's nearly eight months from now," Samuel said as he looked down at her. "I don't think I want to wait that long."

"I thought you said it didn't matter to you," Delia smiled as she lightly kissed his chest then slipped her hand underneath the sheets. "Besides, we've been together for so long that a few more months won't matter."

"If you keep touching me like that, I'm not going to wait any longer," he grinned as he pulled her close to him and kissed her hungrily.

__

Yes, life was good, Samuel thought as he turned out the light, snuggled into his pillow, and smiled contentedly. Just smelling the traces of her jasmine-scented perfume on his pillow conjured up images of earlier that afternoon – touching her, kissing her, loving her. As he was drifting off into a happy slumber, the phone rang.

"Hello, Oak Pokémon Research Laboratory," he replied as he picked up the receiver.

"Samuel?"

"Delia?" He noticed that she sounded worried. "Something the matter?"

"It's Mimie. He's acting rather odd."

"Odd? How so?"

"Well, aggressive. Like he's angry at me about something."

"Angry? Why would Mimie be angry with you?"

"I don't know. I can't think of any reason why Mimie would be upset with me. What's really bothering me is the way Mimie keeps looking at me. It's rather…almost scary. I'm actually kind of frightened."

__

Now that doesn't sound like Mimie at all, Samuel thought as he switched on the bedroom light.

"Could you come over and take a look at him? Please?" Delia pleaded.

"Why don't you bring Mimie over here, Delia? It'd be easier for me to figure out what's wrong since all my diagnostic equipment is here."

"Okay, I'll try."

"Let me know if you have any problems and I'll be down to help you."

"All right. See you in a few minutes."

Fifteen minutes later, Delia rang the doorbell of her fiance's house.

"Hello, sweetheart," Delia smiled apologetically as he opened the door. "I'm sorry if I bothered you. I mean, it's probably just my imagination or something."

"No, you did the right thing," Samuel assured her as he led her inside. "Where's Mimie?"

At the sound of its name, the Pokémon, who had been standing behind its owner, stepped inside. Professor Oak was shocked at the sight of the normally friendly Pokémon. Mimie's button-black eyes were an angry red and its expression was that of pure hatred.

"See what I mean?" Delia said anxiously.

"Yes, I do see what you mean," Samuel said as he tried to recover from the shock of seeing the gentle Pokémon like this. Regaining his wits, he took the Pokémon gently by the arm and spoke in a calm, soothing manner. "Mimie, why don't you come with me and let's figure out why you're acting this way, all right?"

Mimie allowed himself to be led into the lab by Professor Oak, but not before giving Delia a chilling look.

"Delia, maybe you'd better wait outside," Samuel told her. "Mimie's acting very unpredictable and I don't want to take the risk of you getting hurt."

"But I want to stay with Mimie. I'm afraid something's very wrong with him."

"So am I, Delia. But I think it'd be best if you stayed here. I'll let you know as soon as I'm through taking a look at him." He studied her face and noticed that she looked a bit pale. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Me? Oh, I'm just so worried about Mimie and all."

"Why don't you lie down on the couch and rest for a bit? I'll let you know as soon as I'm done. Come on , Mimie -- let's see if we can help you."

Fifteen minutes later, Samuel emerged from the lab.

"How's Mimie?" Delia asked anxiously.

"He appears to be fine physically," Samuel said as he sat down next to his fiancee. "Actually, about two minutes into my examination, Mimie started acting normally again. He's now busy sweeping the lab," he said with a grin.

"Oh, that's good news," Delia said, relieved. "But what do you think was causing Mimie to act that way?"

Samuel shrugged his shoulders. "Hard to say. I'd almost swear that he was under the influence of some sort of psychic attack, but I can't prove it."

"But Mimie's a psychic-type Pokémon. How can that be?"

"I don't know, Delia, but…" He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed that she seemed unusually pale, far worse than when he had left her earlier. "Delia, are you sure you're feeling all right?"

"I…I am a little bit shaky," she said as she lifted a trembling hand to her forehead. "Probably from all the excitement today."

As Delia raised her hand, the golden ring on her finger caught her fiance's attention. Instead of the clear, silvery color it had been earlier, the stone in the middle of the Kadabra's forehead was now glowing a pale crimson.

"Delia, have you noticed this?" He took her hand in his and showed her the ring.

Delia shook her head. "That's odd. It was green earlier. I thought it might be one of those old mood rings."

As another chill shook her body, Samuel turned his attention away from the ring and to his ill fiancee. "Delia, you're chilled," he said as he felt her forehead. "Are you sure you're not sick?"

"I…I don't think I am. I was fine earlier."

It was at that point that he noticed that something about Delia's eyes seemed odd. Instead of their normal soft brown, they had a tinge of red to them.

Delia noticed his alarmed expression. "Darling, what is it?"

"Your eyes," he said as he took her face in his hands and peered into their depths. "They look almost the same color as the crystal in your ring."

"But how can that be?" Delia said with some confusion.

"I don't know," Samuel replied as he continued to examine her eyes, frightened but at the same time fascinated by their unusual coloration. 

Just then, Kingler came into the living room and began nuzzling Professor Oak.

"Not now, Kingler," Professor Oak said as he attempted to shake off the Pokémon's affections. "Delia isn't feeling well and I have to take care of her right now."

As the crab-type Pokémon moved towards Delia to comfort her, it caught sight of the ring. As the Pokémon drew closer, the crystal in the ring began to glow a deep, dark red. Delia watched in horror as Kingler's eyes began to turn the same color as the crystal, and the Pokémon's expression changed from friendly to the savage one she had seen on Mimie's face earlier. 

"Kookie!" The Pokémon raised its massive claw and snapped it in Delia's direction.

"Kingler! What the hell are you doing?" a shocked Professor Oak exclaimed at Kingler's sudden attempt to amputate Delia's arm. "Get away from her!" As he tried to pull the crazed Pokémon away from his fiancee, Kingler turned and Professor Oak saw the glowing eyes and murderous expression that he had seen in Mimie's face earlier. Horrified, he looked at Delia and saw that her eyes were now the same blood-red shade as the crystal.

"The ring! It's the ring!" he shouted as he shoved Kingler aside. Grabbing Delia's wrist, he tugged until the ring came off of her finger and shot across the room. Almost immediately, Kingler's savage behavior abated and Delia's eyes returned to their normal brown color.

"Kookie," Kingler said apologetically as it made its way over to Delia and begged forgiveness for its actions.

"It's all right, Kingler," Professor Oak reassured the Pokémon as he patted its head. "Why don't you go have a little rest now? I know you didn't mean to do what you did." As the Pokémon scuttled away, Professor Oak turned his attention back to Delia, who was staring at him with wide, frightened eyes. "Are you all right, Delia?"

"I don't feel cold or shaky anymore, if that's what you mean."

With a trembling hand, Samuel reached up and lightly touched Delia's face. "Your eyes," he said with astonishment. "They're…they're normal again."

"But what happened? Do you really think the ring caused all this?"

"I don't know, Delia," he said as he located the ring under the coffee table and picked it up, noticing that the crystal in Kadabra's forehead was suddenly clear again. "But I'm not going to take any chances. You and Mimie are staying here tonight until I'm sure that the both of you are fine. And this is going into the safe." After locked the ring in the safe inside the lab, he returned to his still-shaken fiancee and took her hand. "Come on. You've had a long day. You're sleeping with me tonight. I'm not letting you out of my sight until I know for certain that you're all right."

For a long time he lay awake watching her sleep beside him. The whole episode that evening had frightened not only Delia, but him too. After convincing himself that she hadn't suffered any ill effects from earlier, only then did he allowed himself to relax. Being careful not to disturb her, he pulled himself close to her and rested his head on her chest. As he listened to the slow, steady beating of her heart, a reassured Professor Oak closed his eyes and wondered,

__

Was it really the ring?


	2. Chapter 2

"I don't see anything unusual about the crystal's structure," Professor Oak told his assistant the next morning as the two examined the ring under one of the lab's microscopes.

"It just looks like a ring to me," said Tracey as he peered into the microscope. "Maybe a jeweler can tell you more about it. I'm definitely not an expert on that subject."

"Neither am I, Tracey," Professor Oak said as he picked up the ring and studied it. As he held it in his hand, to his surprise the crystal began to glow again. "Do you see that, Tracey?"

"Yeah," said Tracey in amazement as the crystal began to sparkle a pale silver. "Pretty strange."

--- 

"Nope, it looks just like an ordinary crystal to me," said the jeweler in Saffron City as he handed the ring back to Professor Oak. "However, the setting itself is quite unusual. It appears to be quite old."

"Old? How old?" Professor Oak asked.

"I'm not certain, but there's an expert on Pokémon-related art and artifacts who may be able to help you." He handed Professor Oak a business card. "That man should be able to tell you more about the ring than I can."

---

"Do come in, Professor Oak," the expensively-dressed young man smiled at his guest. 

"Thank you," Professor Oak said as he entered the elaborately decorated room that was filled with valuable antiques. One thing he noticed was that all of the pieces – sculptures, paintings, books – dealt with Pokémon in some way. 

"My name is Jiraldan, and as I'm sure my friend in Saffron City told you, I'm a collector," the young man said as he sat down at an ornate rococo desk and indicated that Professor Oak should take the seat on the other side.

"Yes, he mentioned that you might be able to help me," Professor Oak said as he reached into the pocket of his lab coat. "I gave this ring to my fiancee yesterday and I was hoping that you'd be able to tell me more about it."

Jiraldan took the ring from the older man, picked up a jeweler's loupe from his desk, and began examining it. "This is a rather unusual ring, Professor. Where did you find it?"

"I bought it from a street vendor in Naranjita about twenty years ago."

Jiraldan raised his eyebrows. "Really? How much did you pay for it?"

"Not very much. I'd say maybe ten or fifteen dollars."

"Well, you certainly did get a deal on this," Jiraldan smiled as he continued to study the ring. "Especially since this isn't from Naranjita at all."

"It's not?"

"No. The style of this appears to be Ecrudian."

"Ecrudian?" 

"This is very typical of Ecrudian jewelry of the early Renaissance period. Matter of fact, there's a rather interesting story behind the subject of this ring."

"Kadabra?"

"Yes. About six hundred years ago, there was a sorcerer called Maldiavolo."

"Sorcerer?" Professor Oak said skeptically.

"Actually he was a scientist, just like you. Unfortunately, he was also a bit of a madman as well. He owned several psychic Pokémon that he used to terrorize the Pokémon and people of other villages. Kadabra was his particular favorite. Some say that he was able to use alchemy to create a crystal that could be used to control the actions of other Pokémon."

Professor Oak stared at the ring's appraiser in disbelief. "Are you saying that this is the ring…"

"No," Jiraldan smiled. "It's a reproduction. Probably late nineteenth-century. However, it is a very good copy and it would make a rather nice addition to my collection." Jiraldan put down the loupe and reached into his desk drawer. "You said that you paid fifteen dollars for it. I'm willing to pay you a hundred times that." He flipped open a checkbook and began writing. "Fifteen hundred dollars is a fair price for a ring of this quality."

Professor Oak's mouth fell open in disbelief. "I don't know about…"

Jiraldan paused in the middle of writing in the amount. "Oh, you wish to bargain, then? Very well, how about seventeen-fifty?"

Professor Oak's eyes opened wider. "I…I…" 

Jiraldan sighed. "All right. Two thousand. And that's my final offer."

"I…I need to talk it over with my fiancee first," Professor Oak stammered. "After all, it's her ring."

"Certainly. I understand," Jiraldan smiled as he put away his checkbook and stood up. "But don't keep me waiting too long. My offer is good for only a short period of time and two thousand is a more than fair price. You won't get that from anyone else."

"I'll talk it over with Delia tonight," Professor Oak said as he rose from his chair and shook Jiraldan's hand.

"Delia? Is that your fiancee's name?" Jiraldan said as he escorted his visitor to the door.

"Yes. Delia Ketchum."

"What a lovely name…Delia," Jiraldan mused. "Does she live in Pallet Town, too?"

"Yes. We've been neighbors for years."

"I'll expect an answer from you tomorrow, Professor Oak," Jiraldan said as he opened the door.

"You'll have it. And thanks again."

After Professor Oak's departure, Jiraldan made his way to the telephone in the other room and dialed a series of numbers.

"Hello? Yes, this is Jiri. I just had a very interesting visitor a few moments ago. He has something that you may be very interested in…"

--- 

"_Two thousand dollars_?" Delia couldn't believe her ears.

"Yes. I couldn't believe it myself. If it's all right with you, I'll take the ring back to him tomorrow and then we can use the money to buy you another engagement ring. You can pick out whatever you like."

"Yes, that'll be fine." Delia picked up the ring and watched the light dance in the crystal in Kadabra's forehead. "Although it's such a pretty ring. I almost hate to see it go."

Samuel took the ring back from her and placed it in its box. "After what happened last night, I think we might be better off without it."

"Oh Samuel, do you really think the ring was what made me and Mimie sick last night?"

"I don't know, Delia, but I'm not going to take any more chances." He placed the box in the safe in the laboratory and locked it. "First thing tomorrow, we'll head over to the collector's place and get rid of this ring. Then we'll go shopping for a new engagement ring after that," he said as he took her in his arms.

"And then I can go look for a wedding dress!" Delia said excitedly.

"Why don't we get a head start on our honeymoon now?" Samuel said with a wicked grin as he slipped his hand inside her shirt.

Delia squealed. "Stop it! Tracey might walk in!" She wriggled out of his grasp and straightened her clothes. "Besides, if we're going to spend all day tomorrow shopping, I need to go home and get some sleep. And I think Mimie wants to go home, too." After kissing her fiance good-night, she headed back into the lab to go find her Pokémon. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning," she smiled as she emerged with Mimie in tow.

"Let me know if you or Mimie start feeling ill again," Samuel said as he opened the front door. "If either of you have any problems tonight, call me."

"Oh, I think I'll sleep well tonight," Delia laughed. "I'm going to be dreaming about my wedding dress!"

__

The sooner that ring is gone, the better I'll sleep, Samuel thought as he stood in the doorway and watched until the pair had made it safely back to the little white house at the bottom of the hill. 


	3. Chapter 3

After tending to the Pokémon the next morning, Samuel rode over to Delia's house just as he always did; breakfast at eight A.M. was their morning ritual. Normally he would find her working happily in her garden, but today she wasn't. 

"Delia?" 

Perhaps she was doing some housework inside this morning. He propped up his bike against the fence and headed up the path to the front door. As he stood on the porch, he noticed something odd -- the house was quiet. Too quiet. Even if Delia were inside, he would at least hear her or Mimie bustling about doing chores. 

__

Maybe she and Mimie went to the grocery store, he concluded as he knocked on the door. He stopped mid-knock when he looked down and noticed a dark red smudge shaped like a footprint next to the doormat. As he bent down to examine the unusual spot, his heart gave a great leap when he realized what the red spot was.

Blood.

"Delia! Delia!" he cried frantically as he pounded on the door. When there was no answer, he shoved against it as hard as he could and tumbled inside as the unlocked door easily gave way. Then he saw more red stains on the floor, each stain progressively darker as they led to Delia's bedroom. He scrambled to his feet, heart pounding with fear, as he followed the red smudges to Delia's room. 

"Delia!" he shouted again. As his voice echoed throughout the silent house, he attempted to push open the door to her bedroom and discovered that something was blocking it. When the door wouldn't budge, he kicked it open with all his might. As the door finally gave way, Professor Oak saw that what had been blocking the door was…

"Mimie!" 

The Pokémon, its body covered in blood, lay crumpled facedown against the door. Professor Oak knelt by the Pokémon and turned it over, but he knew it was too late. Mimie was obviously dead and had been for some time. Judging from its wounds, it had put up a mighty struggle with its attacker.

__

Then where was…?

Shaking, Professor Oak gently placed the Pokémon's body back down on the floor and tried to brace himself for what he knew he was going to find next. And as he lifted his head, he saw her lying a few feet away, next to the bed. 

"Delia?" he choked. He crawled over to where she lay since his legs were shaking so much that he couldn't even stand. She, like Mimie, lay facedown in a pool of blood. With a trembling hand, he gently shook her shoulder, hoping against all odds that she might still be alive. "Delia?" When she didn't move, he placed his hands on her shoulders.

__

Oh God, she's so cold, he thought as turned her over. And then he saw that she had been shot – shot not once, but twice, in the chest. Her nightgown was completely saturated with blood. 

"No…oh no, Delia," he sobbed as he lifted her head and tenderly placed it in his lap. As he gazed with disbelief at her pale, still face, he pressed his fingers against her neck, hoping that perhaps he'd miraculously find a faint pulse. But in his heart, he knew he wouldn't find one. 

__

She's cold. She's so cold. That was the only thing that kept running through his shock-numbed brain.

As he drew her close to him, trying to warm her with his own body, he saw that the ring that had once been on her finger was gone. Whoever had taken it had done it so forcibly that he or she had dislocated Delia's finger.

__

I hope she was already dead when they did that to her, he wept as he pulled her to him one last time and cried uncontrollably in her hair. 


	4. Chapter 4

The next few hours were a blur. All he could remember were bits and pieces: Officer Jenny and her police detail taking pictures and filling out reports…the coroner covering her and taking her away…paramedics trying to examine him…Tracey's stunned, bewildered face…and then nothing.

When he awoke, he discovered that he was in his own bed and Tracey was hovering above him.

__

A dream! Oh, thank God. It was all a bad, bad dream! For once in his life he had been happy to have a nightmare.

"How do you feel, Professor?" an ashen Tracey asked. 

"A little groggy. I must've had a nightmare. A pretty horrible one, at that."

Tracey bit his lip. "No, Professor. It wasn't a nightmare."

The faint smile of hope that had been forming on Professor Oak's lips faded. "What? What do you mean, Tracey?"

"It…it wasn't a nightmare. Mrs. Ketchum…she's dead and so is Mimie."

__

Oh no, oh no….it wasn't a dream. Professor Oak felt his head starting to swim.

"You found them. Someone killed them both," Tracey said in a quavering voice as he tried hard not to cry – he had already done enough of that this afternoon. "When I got there, the paramedics said you were in shock. You pushed them away and said that they needed to be helping Delia, not you. They had to sedate you in order to examine you." 

Now he remembered…fighting with one of the paramedics as they tried to hold him down, screaming that they needed to be helping Delia, feeling a sharp prick, then sobbing as his world drifted away into black nothingness.

"They said you'll be all right," Tracey continued, even though he didn't believe it. He had never seen his boss cry before -- he had never seen anyone cry the way Professor Oak had done over Delia's body.

Professor Oak shook his head. "It won't be all right, Tracey." 

Tracey was frightened by the look of utter desolation in his friend's eyes. "Professor, while you were asleep, Officer Jenny called. She said that the Officer Jenny in Ecruteak City found Ash, Misty, and Brock. They're on their way back to Pallet now."

"Ash?" In his own grief he had forgotten that there was someone else to consider. Delia's son. 

At the sound of Ash's name, Tracey noticed that Professor Oak suddenly snapped alert. "Yes. They'll be here early tomorrow morning."

"How's Ash taking it?" Professor Oak asked as he attempted to get out of bed. As his legs began to wobble unsteadily, Tracey hastened to his side and helped him try to stand up.

"I don't know, Professor," Tracey replied. "Officer Jenny didn't say. Professor, maybe you'd better stay in bed. I'll tend to the Pokémon tonight." 

"No…no…" Professor Oak mumbled as he tried to brush aside Tracey's arm. "I have things I need to do."

"Professor, please," Tracey pleaded. "I'll take care of everything. You need to get some rest. You've been through a lot today. We all have." When he realized that his shaky legs wouldn't support him, Professor Oak admitted defeat and let Tracey put him back to bed. "That's it, Professor," Tracey said soothingly as he tucked the blankets around his mentor's chin. "Just get some sleep."

"Thank you, Tracey," Professor Oak murmured as he closed his eyes. "Thank you…for everything."

Something about what Professor Oak had just said made the hair stand up on the back of Tracey's neck. The boy remained by his friend's bedside, listening as Professor Oak's breathing slowed until Tracey was certain that he was asleep. Before leaving the room, Tracey thoroughly searched through all the drawers and closets. Satisfied that Professor Oak didn't have a gun or knife hidden away, Tracey carefully shut the bedroom door, making certain that he had the container of Professor Oak's muscle relaxants (he had been taking them intermittently for his lower-back spasms) tucked away safely in his pocket. Even though he didn't think Professor Oak would try to overdose on the pills, something about the finality with which he had said 'thank you….for everything' made him a little less certain about that.

After tending to the Pokémon, Tracey checked on his friend once more before retiring to bed. It had been a long, horrible day, and all the boy wanted to do was get some sleep because tomorrow was going to be infinitely worse when Ash arrived. It had been hard enough to see what Professor Oak had gone through today, but Ash…poor Ash. Tracey silently opened the door to Professor Oak's room and saw that he was still asleep. 

"Good night, Professor," Tracey whispered softly as he shut the door.

--- 

Professor Oak awoke with a start, drenched in sweat. The clock on his bedside read one forty-seven A.M. All evening he had been plagued with horrible nightmares, all of which involved Delia's ice-cold, blood-soaked body. Trembling, Professor Oak got out of bed and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Even though he didn't normally drink, he needed something to help him forget everything that had happened in the past few hours. After downing two shots of bourbon, he heard a scuffling in the lab and decided to investigate. The noise turned out to be Muk, one of his favorite Pokémon, rattling about. 

"Hello, Muk," Professor Oak said as he flicked on one of the lights, sat down at the computer, and turned it on. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"Muk," the Pokémon said softly as it nuzzled Professor Oak's leg. It could tell that something was very wrong with its favorite human.

"Don't worry about a thing, Muk," Professor Oak slurred as he caressed the Pokémon's head. "I'll be all right. Everything will be fine. Now why don't you run along and get some sleep?"

"Muk," the Pokémon said sadly as it shuffled off, leaving a trail of purple slime.

As he logged onto the internet, Professor Oak was surprised that the alcohol had affected him so quickly. He was so relaxed that…that suddenly everything made sense now. After spending an hour gathering some information and tending to some business, Professor Oak closed the web browser and began to compose a letter detailing specific instructions for the care of each of the hundreds of Pokémon in the lab.

__

Not that Tracey needs it – he knows the workings of the lab as well as I do, he thought as he printed out the letter and re-read it. Picking up a pen, he wrote, "Forgive me, Tracey. I'm sorry," at the bottom of the letter then placed it in an envelope. After addressing the envelope with Tracey's name, he propped it up on the computer. Professor Oak stood up, swayed slightly, then staggered over to the cabinet that contained the potions and medicines for healing sick and injured Pokémon. Noticing that Tracey had locked the cabinet and hidden the key, Professor Oak smiled.

__

Tracey, my boy, you know me well, he thought as he tugged on the handle of the locked cabinet. 

__

But not well enough. Professor Oak went over to his desk, opened the lower left-hand drawer, pulled out an old Poké Chow tin, and fished through several keys inside it until he located the one he was looking for. 

__

Now let's see if you were clever enough to find it and remove it, Professor Oak wondered as he opened the medicine cabinet and moved aside several bottles. 

"Oops, looks like you weren't," Professor Oak exclaimed softly as he located the small vial labeled "Highly Concentrated Arbok Venom, Poison," that was hidden in the back of the cabinet. He carefully removed the bottle and placed it on the nearby examination table. After locking the cabinet back and replacing the key in its hiding place, Professor Oak then rummaged around in the cabinet underneath the table until he found a syringe and a rubber tourniquet. After calculating the dose in his head, with a trembling hand he withdrew three cc's of the purple venom from the vial. 

__

That'll be more than enough, he thought as he replaced the cap on the syringe and placed it, the tourniquet, and the bottle in his pocket. With one last look backwards, he turned out the light.

"Don't worry everyone," he whispered to his Pokémon as he staggered upstairs. "It'll be all right. Tracey will take good care of all of you." 

He crept silently back to his room, locked the door, and turned on the light. As he turned around, he spotted something pink on the back of the chair on the opposite side of the room. Delia's sweater. She had left it there the other evening. 

"It's such a warm night," she had told him after they had finished making love and she was getting ready to go home. "I'll leave it here and you can bring it back to me some other time."

Except now she didn't need it. She was in a place where you didn't need to worry about ever being hot or cold again. 

He picked up the sweater and bunched it against his face. It still smelled like her. The jasmine perfume that she wore…the baby powder scent of her deodorant…there was even one of her hairs on it. As his tears started to flow again, he knew what he had to do. But first he had to calm down and regain his wits. No sense in screwing up what he had spent the last couple of hours carefully planning out. 

But there was one last thing he had to do. He picked up a piece of paper and a pen, sat down at his small desk next to the window, and spent the next hour writing. 

The first letter was to his grandchildren, Gary and May. In it, he told them how proud he was of them and expressed his regret that he wouldn't be able to see them grow up. He reassured them that they would be well-provided for and that it was his wish that May take care of her brother until he was an adult. 

"Love always, Grandpa," Professor Oak said with a quavering voice as he signed the letter and placed it underneath the picture of his grandchildren that sat on his desk.

Then he wrote another letter, not quite as long as the first. When he had finished, he folded the letter, labeled it with the recipient's name, and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed. 

Now he was ready.

He picked up Delia's sweater and sat down on the bed. He was surprised as how calm he was as he reached into his pocket, removed the items he had taken from the lab downstairs, and placed them on the nightstand next to the note he had just written. He slipped off his lab coat, picked up the rubber tourniquet and made a fumbling attempt to wrap it around his left arm. In frustration, he finally ended up using his teeth to tie it around his arm. Then he uncapped the needle and slowly picked up the syringe filled with the dark purple liquid. Placing the needle against the raised vein in his arm, he wavered for a moment. He took a deep breath to steady his shaking hand and plunged the needle in.

__

No wonder the Pokémon hated seeing me coming with a needle, he winced as he tried to position the wiggling syringe. _I didn't realize I was so terrible at this._

He paused for a fraction of a second to re-steady the syringe, then closed his eyes and depressed the plunger as fast as he could. He swore as the poison burned its way into his veins. Opening his eyes, he yanked the needle out of his arm and flung the empty syringe onto the nightstand. He then tore off the tourniquet and threw it on the floor. He bent his arm to try to stop the blood oozing from the wound, but realized what he was doing and laughed at the irony of the situation. Instead, he picked up Delia's sweater, laid down on the pillow, and covered his face with her garment. 

He had originally thought about drinking the poison, but after doing some research and discovering the nasty side effects – horrible nausea, violent stomach cramps, nonstop vomiting – not to mention that it could take up an hour to work, he had decided to go with injection instead. That way it would only be a matter of minutes. Even now he was starting to lose the sensation in his limbs. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply Delia's scent. 

And then there she was, standing before him. At first he thought it was some sort of hallucination brought on by the effects of the poison, but he reached out and touched her. This wasn't a dream -- he could actually touch her! He could smell her perfume, her scent -- it really was her! She smiled, opened her arms, and he eagerly rushed into them.

"Oh, Delia," he whispered with his last breath.


	5. Chapter 5

"How's Ash doing?" Brock asked a ragged-looking Misty as she came into the dining area. They had missed the last train to Kanto the evening before and had spent the night at the Pokémon Center in New Bark Town. Nurse Joy and Professor Elm had gone out of their way to take care of the three teens after learning what had happened to Ash's mother.

"He's still asleep," Misty replied as she rubbed her bloodshot eyes and sat down at the table next to her friend. "Not that any of us had much sleep last night. I think I spent most of last night crying. And when I wasn't crying, I was listening to Ash cry. And you were crying too, weren't you, Brock?"

"Yeah," Brock answered softly as he stared at his cup of tea. "All I could think about last night was how hard it's going to be for Ash now."

"Brock," Misty asked, "you were about Ash's age when your mom died, weren't you?"

Brock bit his lower lip. "Yeah." Mrs. Ketchum's death had brought back all the painful memories of his own mother's death several years earlier. When Brock had finally fallen asleep the night before, he had dreamed about that horrible day. Until the day he died, Brock would never forget the look of utter despair in his father's eyes as he told him that the cancer that had ravaged his mother's body for the past year had finally won.

Misty reached over, grasped Brock's hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "How did you…how did you cope with losing your…your mother?"

"It was hard, Misty. Especially after my dad couldn't deal with and it ran out on us." Even though Brock had long forgiven his father, he was still bitter. "I didn't really have time to mourn Mom because I had to take care of all my brothers and sisters."

Misty leaned over and gave her friend a sympathetic hug.

"Oh my God!" screamed a woman's voice in the next room. Alarmed, Misty and Brock jumped up and went into the next room where they saw Nurse Joy, her head bowed, with a visibly upset Professor Elm trying to calm her.

"What's going on?" Brock asked.

Professor Elm turned his red, tear-filled eyes to the boy. "Sam…Professor Oak…he's…they found him…" He couldn't continue as he pulled Nurse Joy to him and the two clutched each other tightly as they sobbed.

"Oh no….oh no…" Misty gasped as she turned pale and pointed to the television. On the morning news was a picture of Professor Oak's lab. Brock grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

"This morning, noted Pokémon researcher Professor Samuel Oak was found dead at his home, the victim of an apparent suicide. There was a note, but the contents have not been disclosed yet, pending the results of an investigation. The tragedy comes a day after another citizen of Pallet Town, Delia Ketchum, was found murdered in her house. Investigators feel that there may be a link between the two deaths, as Oak and Ketchum were engaged to be married." 

"Engaged?" Misty gasped. 

"Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum were engaged?" Brock echoed.

A near-hysterical Tracey appeared on the television screen. 

"He…he said he couldn't live without her…he was so distraught…"

"Was this a murder-suicide or did Oak take his own life out of grief? We'll have more on this story today at noon."

"A murder-sui….that's disgusting!" Misty shouted angrily. "Professor Oak would never…oh no." Misty then saw Ash standing in the doorway. He had been awakened by the commotion and had heard the entire news report.

"Professor Oak?" Ash said in a tiny voice. "He's…he's dead, too?"

Misty nodded and then Misty and Brock reached out to hug him. The three clutched each other tightly as they sobbed and mourned the loss of another friend.

--- 

Since Pallet Town had only one funeral home and everyone knew both Delia and Professor Oak, the pair lay in state together in the same parlor. (Mimie had been buried earlier that day in the Pokémon cemetery on the grounds of the Oak estate.)

"Mom would've wanted it this way," Ash said as he looked down at Professor Oak's still face.

"Professor Oak would've wanted it this way, too," Tracey said as he looked down at Delia.

"Ready to go?" Misty gulped as she clutched Brock's hand tightly. Both of them had cried so hard that afternoon they didn't think they would be able to stop. "Visiting hours are over." 

Tracey nodded and followed the pair out of the room. "Coming, Ash?"

"In a minute, Tracey." 

When Ash was certain that everyone had gone, he leaned his head against the chair in front of him and began to cry. Pikachu, who had been staying close to his friend's side the whole time, jumped into Ash's lap and began to wipe away his tears.

"Oh, Pikachu," Ash sniffed as he hugged his Pokémon close to him and wiped his nose in the Pokémon's soft yellow fur. "What are we gonna do now?" 

"Ash?"

The boy leapt up as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Ash hastily wiped his eyes as he looked up and saw a grim-faced Officer Jenny standing next to him.

"I'm sorry about your mother and Professor Oak, Ash," Officer Jenny said as she reached into her pocket. "Professor Oak left this for you," she said as she produced a letter and held it out to Ash. "It was on the table next to his bed. I couldn't give it to you earlier until the investigation was complete." With a final salute to the pair of caskets, Officer Jenny turned and left.

Puzzled, Ash examined the letter. In Professor Oak's handwriting were the words, "To Ash Ketchum."

Ash slowly opened the letter and began to read:

__

Dear Ash,

By the time you read this, I'll be with your mother again. Even though you may be tempted to follow my example given everything that's happened, I beg of you, don't. 

Ash noticed that Professor Oak had underlined the word "don't". 

__

To do so would be to dishonor your mother's memory. I loved your mother too, Ash. Matter of fact, we were planning on marrying sometime around Christmas, which would've made me your stepfather. I'm sorry that won't happen now. 

But a long time ago I promised Delia that if anything ever happened to her I would take care of you. In my will I have made you one of the heirs to my estate. You are now a very wealthy young man, Ash. I know the money will never replace the loss of your mother, but I hope I can at least make up for not being there for you by providing for you financially. 

Ash's head started to spin. This was all so unbelievable.

__

Delia had mentioned more than once that your father is still alive. Despite the fact that he abandoned you and Delia before you were born, he is your only living relative now. I urge you to seek him out.

Ash noticed that Professor Oak's handwriting had become shaky.

__

You're a fine young man, Ash, not to mention an excellent Pokémon trainer. I regret that I won't see you achieve your dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. I want you to know that your mother and I have always been proud of you. Despite that fact that your real father wasn't around when you were growing up, I tried to be there for you like a father would all these years. And I hope that you thought of me that way, too.

Please help Tracey in whatever way you can. 

Take care, Ash. I wish you a long and happy life.

And the letter was signed "Samuel Ashley Oak". 

__

Huh? Ash did a double-take. He then noticed that there was more written on the back.

__

P.S. – In case Delia never told you, yes it's true -- she did name you after me. Apparently she was so grateful for my assistance after your father left her that she decided to call you "Ash". (She wanted to call you Ashley, but I talked her out of it.) 

Through his tears, Ash smiled. 

__

I was honored by her decision, even though I felt as if I didn't really deserve it. But you know how stubborn your mother can be.

"Yeah, Professor Oak. I do." Still smiling, Ash folded the letter and placed it in his pocket. He slowly walked over to the casket where the older man lay and gently touched his hand. "And thanks for telling my mom not to name me Ashley."

--- 

Despite Gary's objections, Ash and Tracey insisted that Professor Oak and Delia be buried side by side in the small cemetery overlooking the beach of Pallet Town. After the funeral, Ash stood on the hill where his mother and the man he had come to love as a father now lay.

"So what are you going to do now, Ash?" Tracey asked as he came up behind Ash.

"Dunno, Trace. What are you gonna do?"

"Well, the Professor wanted me to take over the lab, so I guess that's what I'm going to do for now. Although I don't know if I really want to stay after everything that's happened." Tracey had been the one that found Professor Oak that fateful morning and blamed himself for not being able to stop his friend's suicide. "Maybe I'll find someone to take it over and head back to the Orange Islands."

"Tracey, it wasn't your fault that Professor Oak did what he did."

"Yeah, everyone keeps telling me that."

"But you don't believe it, do you?"

"No. Dammit, if I had only known about the poison in the cabinet!" Tracey picked up a stick and hurled it into the ocean below.

"Then Professor Oak would've found another way," said Brock as he and Misty came up the hill. "He could've jumped off of the roof, hung himself with a bedsheet, cut his wrists with a razor blade. Even if you held him down and locked him in his room, he would've found a way to kill himself no matter what."

"Brock's right, Tracey," said Misty as she put her arms around her friend and hugged him tightly. "You wouldn't have been able to stop him."

"Yeah, maybe," said Tracey, unconvinced, as he pulled away from Misty's embrace. "Listen, I've got to get back to the lab and feed the Pokémon. I'll see you later."

The three watched their friend make his way slowly down the hill and disappear in the distance.

"How are you holding up, Ash?" Brock asked as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Okay, I guess."

"Ash, there's something I want to ask you." 

Ash noticed that Brock seemed rather serious, even a little bit nervous. "Ask me what, Brock?"

"Well, I've been doing some thinking and…well, since I'm eighteen now, I was wondering…that since your mom's, well…and your dad's…"

"Just spit it out, Brock."

"Ash, I'd like to adopt you."

Ash's mouth fell wide open. "You WHAT?!"

"What are you talking about, Brock?" an equally stunned Misty asked.

"Well, since Ash doesn't have any parents and he's not an adult, they might send him away," Brock explained rapidly. "Since I'm legally an adult now, I could adopt Ash and take care of him until he's eighteen. Besides, it really wouldn't be any different from what we're doing now since I kind of watch out for both of you guys, anyway."

"Oh, Brock, I think that's the nicest, most generous thing you've ever done," Misty exclaimed as she hugged Brock enthusiastically. 

"What about it, Ash? Do you want me to keep on cooking for you for the next few years?" Brock said with an uneasy grin.

Ash smiled grimly. "Thanks for the offer, Brock, but I'm gonna have to turn you down."

"What? What do you mean, Ash?" Misty asked, surprised.

"According to the letter that Professor Oak left for me, my real dad's alive somewhere. And I guess I'm gonna have to go find him." Ash took the letter out of his pocket. 

Brock took the letter and read it as Misty hovered over his shoulder.

"I didn't know you were named after Professor Oak," Brock said as he handed the letter back to his friend.

"Neither did I," said Ash as he folded the letter and placed it back into his pocket. "So what do we do now?"

"I think the first thing you need to do is get in touch with your father," said Brock.

"And how am I gonna do that, Brock? I don't even know who my father is!"

"You mean your mother never told you about your father?" Misty exclaimed in surprise.

"No, she didn't, Misty!" Ash shot back angrily. "All I know is that he walked out on Mom when she got pregnant with me."

"I'm sorry, Ash," Misty said with a quavering voice. "I…I didn't know…"

Ash immediately felt sorry for being so harsh with her. "Sorry, Misty. It's just that I don't really know what to do now."

"I have an idea," said Brock. "Do you know where your birth certificate is?"

"Mom kept all that stuff in a box in the closet in her room. I don't know if it's in there or not."

"Then why don't we head back to your house and look for it?" Misty suggested.

"I don't know if I ever want to go back there, Misty," Ash said as his voice start to shake. "Not after what…what happened."

Brock laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We understand, Ash. But I think this is important enough that someone has to go find it."

"I'll do it, Ash," Misty volunteered. "Give me the key to your house and I'll go look for it."

"Are you sure you wanna do this, Misty?" Ash said reluctantly as he handed her the key to his house.

"I'm sure, Ash," said Misty determinedly. "Like Brock said, this is too important to not look for it. I'll be back as soon as I can." Misty took off running down the hill and disappeared down the road to Pallet. Twenty minutes later, Misty came panting up the hill with a green and white shoebox in her hands.

"Hey, you found it!" Ash exclaimed as he took the shoebox from her and began rummaging through the contents.

"Are you okay, Misty?" Brock asked, noticing that she seemed a bit pale.

"I'm okay, Brock," Misty whispered. "It's just that it was kind of strange being in there where…where they found Ash's mom." Even though the authorities had cleaned up the bedroom where Delia and Mimie were slain, Misty had still felt ill from just being in the same room where the murders had taken place.

"Found it!" Ash exclaimed triumphantly as he held up an envelope marked "Ash's birth certificate". He eagerly opened it and started reading. "Lessee, where do they put…Aha! 'Mother's name, Delia Marie Ketchum', father's name is…" The color immediately drained out of Ash's face and his hands started shaking violently. "No…oh no…it can't be!"

"Can't be what, Ash?" Misty asked with concern.

"It's a lie! It's not true!" Ash flung down the piece of paper and started running in the direction of the cliff at the edge of the cemetery.

"Ash, no!" Brock raced after his friend and tackled him just as Ash reached the edge of the cliff. 

"Let go of me, Brock! Let go of me!" Ash raged as he fought to free himself of Brock's grasp.

"No! I'm not going to let you hurt yourself!" Brock panted as he tried to pin down Ash's flailing body. "I'm not going to let you do something stupid!"

"Let me go, Brock! Let me go!" Ash cried. "I'd rather kill myself than be known as….as…HIS son!"

"His son? What are you talking about?" Brock asked, puzzled.

"This," Misty said as she came running up with a piece of paper in her hands that clearly read:

__

Father's name, Giovanni Cambuzzo Peccati.


	6. Chapter 6

Back at the lab, Tracey was in the middle of feeding the smaller Pokémon when Gary wandered in.

"Hi, Tracey," Gary said sullenly. 

"Hey, Gary," Tracey replied in an equally somber tone. "What's up?"

"I just came from the bank. I was looking for Grandpa's will, but it's not in the safe-deposit box. Do you know if it might be around here somewhere?"

"It might be in the safe over there," Tracey said as he pointed to the small gray box sitting in the corner next to Professor Oak's desk.

"I don't have the combination," Gary said. "Did Grandpa ever give it to you?"

"Yeah, he did," Tracey sighed as he finished pouring out a bowl of Poké Chow for the three Rattata waiting eagerly at his feet. After putting the bowl down on the floor, Tracey went over to the safe, twirled the dial back and forth, and pulled open the door. He peered inside and rummaged through the contents until he found a manila envelope. "This is it." He handed Gary the envelope.

"Thanks," the other boy said quietly as he opened the envelope and discovered that it did contain his grandfather's will. 

"So how's your sister doing?" Tracey asked. He was fond of May and had a serious crush on her. It had broken his heart to see her sobbing uncontrollably over her grandfather's casket at the funeral. 

Gary shrugged his shoulders. "She's all right, I guess. She's heading back to college tomorrow. And I guess I'm gonna go with her." 

"You are?" Tracey replied, surprised.

"Yeah, Grandpa wanted me to go live with her, seeing that she's my only living relative now," Gary replied bitterly.

And Gary was bitter. During the entire service he had stared at the pair of caskets with a hard, angry expression on his face. He was furious at his grandfather for abandoning him and furious that his grandfather had killed himself because of Ash's mother. 

"Oh yeah, do you want this?" Tracey asked as he offered Gary a small velvet box.

"What's that?" Gary asked with a puzzled expression.

Tracey opened the box and showed him the ring with the golden Kadabra. "Professor Oak bought this for your grandmother years ago, but he said that she died before he was able to give it to her. He gave it to Mrs. Ketchum a few days ago…" Tracey felt himself starting to choke up again. "It was her engagement ring." Tracey brushed back a tear. "Do you want it?"

Gary's face hardened. "Because of that damn ring and Mrs. Ketchum, my Grandpa is dead. You can throw it in the river for all I care!" As Tracey closed the box, Gary began to read the document in his hand and his face grew pale with rage and disbelief. "I don't believe it…that son of a…"

"What's wrong, Gary?"

Gary gave Tracey a sarcastic, bitter laugh. "All these years I thought Grandpa liked Ash better than me, and this just proves my point. Hell, he even chose Ash's mom over me." 

Gary handed the document to Tracey, who began to read it. Halfway through the will, Tracey gasped.

"Oh my God! Professor Oak left a quarter of his estate to…"

"To Ash," Gary completed the phrase. "To poor, little neighbor boy Ash."

"But Professor Oak also left you and May each a quarter of his estate," Tracey said as he continued reading the text of the will and then squeaked in surprise. "And me, too. Oh man, he didn't have to do that." Tracey began to feel tears of gratitude for his former employer forming. 

"Well, he did," Gary fumed as he snatched the document out of Tracey's hands and stuffed it back in the envelope. "I've gotta get this to the lawyer's office. Come on, Umbreon," Gary motioned to his Pokémon as he stormed out of the lab. 

--- 

"If you had waited one more day, then I would've been able to buy the ring from him and given it to you!" cried a distraught Jiraldan as he sat in the expensively decorated office of his business partner. "You didn't tell me that you were going to kill the woman! Why didn't you wait?"

"First, Jiri, you are mistaken," said the equally well-dressed man on the opposite side of the huge wooden desk. "I wasn't the one who killed Delia Ketchum. My associates were unfortunately a little overzealous in their attempt to obtain the ring. And the reason I didn't wait was because I'm not going to let that ring get away. You are convinced that it is the original?"

"Yes," Jiraldan nodded.

"You had better be telling me the truth, Jiri. Because if you're not…" Jiraldan's eyes grew wide with fear at the expression on his partner's face. "Bring me the ring," he ordered as he tapped a button on the intercom on his desk. A burly, dark-haired man dressed in a black suit -- obviously a bodyguard -- entered the office and handed the man at the desk a small paper envelope.

"Excellent," smiled the envelope's recipient. He tore open the envelope and out fell a small gold ring -- a ring that contained a small square sapphire flanked by two diamonds. It was the birthstone ring Professor Oak had given Delia on her birthday the previous year.

Jiraldan's mouth went dry with fear. "That…that's not the ring." 

The man on the other side of the desk's head shot up. "What do you mean, 'this isn't the ring'?"

Jiraldan, who was trembling visibly, repeated, "This isn't the ring Professor Oak showed me."

The man on the other side of the desk stood up and crossed over to where his business partner sat cowering in his chair. "Jiri," he said in a low, dangerous voice, "you know what I do to people who double-cross me."

Jiraldan shook his head violently in protest. "No! I don't have the ring! Your associates must've taken the wrong one!"

"If you're lying to me, Jiri…" His partner's hand shot out and seized him by the throat.

"No," Jiri choked as the hand on his throat tightened. "I swear to you, I don't have it!"

His attacker regarded him for a second through narrowed eyes, then released his grip. "Bring in Angelina and Gabe," he barked to his bodyguard. The burly man disappeared for a moment and reappeared with two teenagers in tow. Both were dressed in black and had a scarlet "R" on their chests. 

"My colleague here," the teenagers' boss gestured to the coughing Jiraldan, "says that the ring that I sent you to get isn't the one we were looking for."

"Sure it is, Boss," insisted the tall, red-haired boy somewhat nervously. 

"You said to get the ring from the bitch in Pallet Town and that's what we did," smirked the pretty blonde girl with a cruel expression.

"I believe I said get the ring with the golden Kadabra on it, did I not?" continued their boss with an air of dangerous calm.

"You…you said get the ring from that Ketchum woman, and that's what we did, Boss!" the boy named Gabe insisted.

"Does this look like a golden Kadabra?" their boss said as he held up the ring that was sitting on his desk.

The two teens gulped nervously and looked at each other, realizing that they had made a huge, potentially fatal mistake.

"And another thing," the sapphire ring's new owner continued calmly, "I don't recall ordering you to kill the woman, either."

"We didn't have any choice!" Angelina spat. "She kept screaming and that crazy Pokémon of hers kept trying to attack us. We had to shut them up somehow!"

"Team Rocket is not in the business of killing people, Angelina. And since neither you nor your partner can remember that, much less remember what a Kadabra ring looks like, then I'll have to find a way to refresh your memories." He signaled to his bodyguard, who stepped forward and roughly seized the arms of the terrified Rocket grunts. "Mistakes like that will not be repeated as long as I am the leader of Team Rocket," he said with chilling finality. "Take them away." 

The two men, one terrified and one satisfied, watched as the bodyguard led the stunned teens away. Finally, the darker-haired man returned to his desk, sat down, and began twirling the sapphire ring back and forth in his fingers. "So, Jiri, where do you think the ring is now?"

"I…I guess it must still be at Professor Oak's place if he didn't give it back to his fiancee." 

"Then I guess we should pay a condolence call to the Oak house, shouldn't we?" 

And Jiridan knew from the malicious smile on Giovanni's face that paying respects to the late Professor Oak wasn't his partner's intent at all.


	7. Chapter 7

"Do you feel better now, Ash?" Misty asked the groggy, semi-conscious boy.

"Guess so," Ash mumbled as he leaned his head against the trunk of the massive oak tree.

After Ash's attempt to throw himself over the cliff at the cemetery had been thwarted by Brock, both Brock and Misty had sat with him while the distraught boy had screamed and cried over his mother's grave until he collapsed in exhaustion. The two then carried him to the tree next to Professor Oak's grave where Misty held Ash's head in her lap and stroked his untidy hair while he slept for nearly two hours.

"Do you feel like eating anything, Ash?" Brock asked. "While you were sleeping I went to the store and got us some sandwiches." He offered Ash a ham and cheese sandwich.

"No thanks, Brock," Ash said softly as he closed his eyes. "I don't really feel much like eating."

"Ash, you've got to eat something," Misty insisted. 

"Pikachu," agreed his Pokémon, who had remained by Ash's side the whole time as he slept.

Reluctantly, Ash opened his eyes and took the sandwich from Brock.

"So what are you going to do now?" Brock asked his young friend.

"Dunno," Ash said, shrugging his shoulders. "But I guess I'm gonna have to go see Giovanni whether I like it or not."

"Ash," gasped Misty. "You can't be serious!"

"What choice do I have, Misty? Like it or not, the guy's my father and they'll probably send me away to go live with him anyhow."

"Ash, you don't have to do this. I'm still willing to adopt you," Brock insisted.

"Yeah, but won't they have to tell Giovanni if you're gonna do that?"

Brock was silent; Ash did have a point.

Ash fed the rest of his sandwich to Pikachu and stiffly stood up. "If we're going to make it to Viridian City by tonight, we'd better get going." 

"Are you sure this is what you want to do, Ash?" Misty asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm sure, Misty. Come on, Pikachu." As the Pokémon leapt onto his shoulder, Ash turned around and looked at the two fresh graves one last time. "Be sure to take good care of my mom, Professor Oak." 

The three then started down the road to Viridian City.

--- 

Before leaving Pallet Town, Ash, Misty, and Brock stopped at the Oak lab to say good-bye to Tracey.

"Aren't you going to stay for the reading of Professor Oak's will tomorrow?" Tracey asked as he picked up the Nidoran that was attempting to sneak out the door.

"Nahh. I already know what he left me," Ash said. 

"Oh wait." Tracey disappeared with the Nidoran into the lab and returned with a small velvet box. 

"What's this?" asked Ash as Tracey handed him the little box. 

"It's the ring Professor Oak gave to your mother. Gary didn't want it, so I figured that you might like to have it. I guess it's yours anyway, since technically it belonged to your mom."

Ash opened the box and gasped along with Misty and Brock at the sight of the gold Kadabra with the sparkling crystal in its forehead.

"It's beautiful," exclaimed Misty. 

"Professor Oak gave this to my mom because they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. And instead they both died," Ash said with a quavering voice as he stared at the unusual ring pillowed in the velvet box. Regaining his composure, Ash pocketed the ring. "I'm gonna find out who did this to my mom," he said with fierce determination. "Let's go."

"Take care of yourself, everybody. And be careful," warned Tracey as the three started down the steps. Tracey then quickly shut the door to keep the runaway Nidoran from making another escape attempt. Running a Pokémon lab single-handedly was hard work.

--- 

The three friends made it to the Pokémon Center in Viridian City shortly after nightfall. 

"I'm gonna go see Giovanni right now," Ash declared after he dropped his things next to his bed in the Pokémon Center.

"Ash, like it or not, you're going to have to wait until tomorrow morning," Brock informed his friend as he grabbed him by the shirt collar. "The gym isn't open now. And besides, I think we all need to have something to eat and then get some rest."

"Brock's right, Ash," Misty agreed. "Let's go find a burger place."

--- 

Back at the Oak lab, an exhausted Tracey wearily trudged up the stairs to his bedroom. Between the events of the past few days and having to take care of the hundreds of Pokémon in the lab by himself, he didn't think he could take much more. Starting tomorrow, he was going to put out advertisements for some help. Maybe he could find another assistant or a graduate student or two to help him out until Professor Hale could get his house in Greenfield sold. At the funeral, Professor Hale had volunteered to take over the lab, mentioning that he had been wanting to move his family back to Pallet Town for some time.

"It's the least I can do for him," Spencer had told Tracey at the funeral. "After he helped me and Molly escape from the Unown."

As Tracey passed by the room that had been Professor Oak's he said a silent prayer for the man who had helped him learn so much about the amazing creatures called Pokémon. Tracey then opened the door to his own bedroom, collapsed on his bed and immediately fell asleep, not bothering to change into his pajamas.

He was sleeping so soundly that he didn't hear the alarm go off as someone slid open the window in the rear of the lab. 


	8. Chapter 8

"Ash still asleep?" Misty asked Brock early the next morning as she sipped a glass of juice at one of the tables in the Viridian City Pokémon Center.

"Yeah," Brock answered as Misty handed him an orange. "I think that's really what he needs right now."

The two watched as a picture of the Oak lab appeared on the morning news show. With the sensational events of the past couple of days, the news had been talking nonstop of nothing but the tragic deaths of the grief-stricken Pokémon researcher and his pretty young fiancee. Even at the funeral yesterday, Misty had overheard one of the mourners whisper about how Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum had been "just like Romeo and Juliet".

"Oh no. Turn it off, Brock," Misty said. "I can't take seeing this again."

As Brock reached up to change the channel, a picture of Tracey appeared on the television screen. "Why are they talking about Tracey?" he wondered as he turned up the volume.

"…Tracey Sketchit had been Professor Oak's lab assistant for over a year. He remains in a coma in critical condition at the Vermillion City Regional Trauma Center, where he was airlifted early this morning following the assault."

"WHAT?!" a shocked Misty and Brock said in unison.

As footage of paramedics rushing a blood-soaked Tracey to the waiting air ambulance appeared on the screen, the reporter continued: "Police are still investigating to see if anything has been stolen from the laboratory."

Officer Jenny then appeared on the screen. "We believe that Tracey surprised the intruders as they were breaking into the lab. All of us in Pallet Town are praying for his speedy recovery."

"Oh no. Not Tracey too," Misty said as she buried her head in her hands and started to cry.

"This is the third tragedy is less than a week for the little town of Pallet," the television reporter continued. "Homemaker Delia Ketchum was found murdered in her home on..."

Brock turned off the television and jumped when he saw that Ash had come into the dining area and was standing beside him.

"Tracey?" a disbelieving Ash said in a shaky voice. "Why would anyone want to hurt him?"

"I…I don't know what to think anymore, Ash," Brock told his friend as he tried to console Misty.

"I'm gonna go see Giovanni right now," Ash said as he straightened the baseball cap on his head. "And I'm gonna get to the bottom of all of this."

--- 

"YOU INCOMPETENT FOOLS!" raged Giovanni. "I send you to perform a small errand and you can't even accomplish that!"

"We looked everywhere, Boss," Cassidy told the man glaring at her from behind his desk. "The ring wasn't in Professor Oak's house!"

"We turned the whole place inside-out looking for it," Butch insisted as he and his Team Rocket partner stood trembling before Giovanni in his office.

"Yes, and you also nearly killed the young man inside the house, didn't you?" Giovanni continued angrily. "Didn't the two of you learn anything after what happened to your friends Gabe and Angelina?"

At the mention of the names of their fellow Team Rocket grunts who had mysteriously "disappeared", both Butch and Cassidy went pale.

"We didn't kill him, Boss," Butch continued. "We just roughed him up a little."

"A _little_? The news report said that the boy is in a coma and not expected to live!"

"It wasn't our fault, Boss," Cassidy said as she began to panic. "He was trying to stop us and Butch shoved him. He fell and hit his head on one of the tables! It wasn't our fault, honest!"

"We even checked to make sure he was still alive before we left," Butch added.

"Well, wasn't that nice of you," Giovanni sneered sarcastically. "You two have to be…"

"Sorry to interrupt, Boss," crackled the secretary's voice on the intercom, "But there's a boy here to see you."

"Tell him that Earth Badge battles are held only on Tuesdays and Thursdays," Giovanni barked. "Then send him away."

After a moment, the secretary's voice returned. "Um, sir, the boy says he's not leaving. He says he has to speak with you personally."

Giovanni swore. "Speak to me about what? I'm busy right now."

"The boy says…well, he says that he's your son."

Butch and Cassidy's eyes grew wide in amazement as a stunned Giovanni stared in disbelief at the intercom. After recovering from the initial shock, Giovanni regained his composure and signaled to his bodyguard standing in the corner. "Take these two away. I'll deal with them later." As the bodyguard led Butch and Cassidy away, Giovanni tapped the button on the intercom. "Send the boy in."

As the door slowly opened once more, a dark-haired boy in a baseball cap peered inside. On the boy's shoulder was a Pikachu. 

"Come inside, boy. I don't have all day," Giovanni ordered impatiently as he waved in Ash's direction. "Sit down."

Ash, who discovered that his legs were suddenly wobbly, made his way across the room and sank down in the leather chair in front of Giovanni's desk.

"So," snapped Giovanni. "You claim to be my son. Do you have any proof?"

Ash reached inside his jacket pocket and handed Giovanni a piece of paper. Giovanni snatched it from the boy's fingers and began to read. Giovanni's expression changed from impatience to shock as he read the name "Ketchum" printed on the birth certificate. Then his hands began to shake as he read the names "Delia Marie Ketchum" and "Giovanni Cambuzzo Peccati".

"Is it true?" asked the dark-haired boy. "Are you really my father?"

"It would appear so," Giovanni said quietly as he handed the piece of paper back to the boy then pressed a hidden button under his desk. Even though he didn't think the boy had come to avenge his mother's death (How could he? There was no evidence linking him to Delia's murder.), he wasn't going to take any chances. "So what do you want from me? Money?"

Ash shook his head. "I don't want any money, Giovanni. I just want to know the truth. The truth about you and my mom."

Giovanni leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "So what do you want to know?"

"Well…how did you and my mom meet?"

Giovanni stared at the boy sitting in front of him and noticed that he and Ash had the same piercing brown eyes and jet-black hair. 

"All right, I'll tell you. Your mother and I met a long time ago. She was just a teenager when she joined Team Rocket."

"My mom was in Team Rocket?!" Ash couldn't believe what Giovanni had just told him. "That…no! You're lying!"

"No, I'm not," Giovanni continued, amused by the boy's reaction. "Your mother was one of my first Team Rocket recruits. She was a pretty, innocent little thing. As I recall…" Then Giovanni realized that he couldn't recall much about Delia except from the images that had been parading around on the television the last few days.

"Did you love her?"

Giovanni was taken aback by the boy's query. "Huh?"

"Did you love my mom?" repeated Ash.

"I slept with your mother," Giovanni admitted with a smile. "But I've also slept with quite a few of my female Team Rocket members." It was one of the benefits of being the leader.

Ash suddenly felt sick. Sick at the thought of this man –even if he was his father-- touching his mother. 

"Sorry to disappoint you, boy," Giovanni smirked. "Or should I say, _son_."

Ash felt ill. All he wanted to do now was get as far away from this disgusting man as possible. But he still had to know one more thing.

"If you didn't love my mom, then was that why you left her when she told you that she was gonna have me?"

Giovanni snorted with laughter. "Is that what Delia told you? Well, my boy, looks like your mother wasn't exactly honest with you."

"You're a liar," hissed Ash.

"Oh, I'm not the liar, boy. Your mother was. You see, I had no idea your mother was pregnant with you when she decided to leave Team Rocket. Apparently she was growing uncomfortable with some of the things we were doing and decided she'd had enough. However, if I had known that she was pregnant with my child, I never would have let her leave."

"Why? I thought you said you didn't love her."

"Don't get me wrong, boy. I _liked_ your mother," Giovanni said with a lecherous smile and Ash suddenly felt an overpowering urge to smash in his face. "But if I had known that she was carrying the heir to the Peccati name, then I would have forced her to stay."

"Then I'm glad she left you!" Ash shouted as he leapt to his feet. "And I'm glad my last name is Ketchum!"

"Ah, but your _real_ last name is Peccati. And like it or not, you are also the only male heir to the family name. You see, since I have only sisters, there is obviously considerable pressure on me to produce an heir to the Peccati name. And I do have other children by other mistresses. However, they are also all girls," Giovanni said with some distaste. "My oldest daughter is only six, so she's still a bit young to start learning about the family business. But you -- you're how old? Thirteen? Fourteen?" 

"I'll be fourteen in a couple of months," Ash growled.

"I had already stolen a hundred Pokémon by the time I was your age," Giovanni said with pride. "But it's not too late for you."

"Forget it, Giovanni!" Ash yelled as the bodyguard entered the room. "I'll never be your son!"

"But that's what you are, my dear boy. You are my son," Giovanni said triumphantly. "And since your mother is now unfortunately deceased, then that makes me your legal guardian, does it not?" 

"I'd rather be an orphan than call you my dad! Professor Oak was more of a father to me than you ever were!" Ash shouted.

"But Professor Oak is dead too, isn't he? It's a shame really," Giovanni said in a voice that indicated that he wasn't sorry at all. "He was such a brilliant man, yet still a fool to kill himself over a woman."

Something inside Ash snapped and he lunged towards the desk where Giovanni sat. As the Team Rocket bodyguard seized Ash's arm, Pikachu leapt off of his trainer's shoulder and began to growl menacingly.

"Call off your Pikachu," Giovanni ordered as leapt up from his desk and snapped his fingers. His Persian, who had been dozing at his feet, leapt onto the surface of the desk and began hissing at the mouse Pokémon.

"Let go of me! Let go of me!" Ash yelled as he swung furiously at the bodyguard. As the two struggled, a small box tumbled out of Ash's jacket pocket and rolled under the chair where Ash had been sitting a minute earlier. With an expert move, the bodyguard grabbed Ash's arm and pulled it savagely behind him. As Ash cried out in pain, the burly man wrapped his massive arm around Ash's throat and began to slowly strangle the struggling boy.

"Foolish child," Giovanni smirked as he bent over to pick up the velvet box. Pikachu, sparks flying from its cheeks, made an attempt to leap onto Giovanni's back, but was smacked aside by the much larger Persian. As Pikachu scrambled to its feet, Giovanni opened the box and gasped in amazement at the sight of the ring with the Kadabra's head.

Ash, who was starting to get woozy from his air supply being slowly cut off, tried to signal to Pikachu. The Pokemon, seeing that his trainer was in danger, dashed under the bodyguard's legs and nipped him savagely on the ankle. Swearing viciously, the bodyguard made an attempt to kick off the attacking Pokemon, whose cheeks were hissing with sparks in preparation for a powerful Thundershock attack. 

"Unless you want to watch your trainer die, I suggest you let go of Vittorio right now," Giovanni threatened the furious Pikachu. Pikachu, seeing that Ash's face was now almost purple and his eyes were about to pop out of his skull, let go of the bodyguard's ankle and squealed in pain as Persian leapt off of the desk and batted it across the room with a series of Fury Swipes.

"Let him go, Vittorio," Giovanni ordered his bodyguard, who complied and let Ash's limp body crumple to the ground. 

Pikachu, bleeding from the marks on its face made by Persian's claws, dragged himself to his trainer's body and began to sniff his face. "Pika?"

Giovanni knelt down next to the unconscious boy. 

"Pikachu!" the loyal Pokémon growled as it attempted to protect its trainer.

"I'm not going to hurt him," Giovanni told the Pokémon as he moved it aside and felt Ash's wrist. Detecting a faint pulse, Giovanni looked up. "Vittorio, take him to the bedroom in the south wing and have someone stay with him until he recovers. Meanwhile, I'm going to examine my prize."

As the burly man lifted Ash's limp body and slung it over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, then grabbed the squealing Pikachu by the tail, Giovanni stood up and returned to his desk. As Persian leapt into his lap, Giovanni opened the box and took out the ring. As he held it in the sunlight, the crystal in the Kadabra's forehead began to glow. 

"Beautiful, isn't it, Persian?" The Pokémon purred contentedly in response as Giovanni started stroking its sleek fur. "The ring of Maldiavolo Peccati."


	9. Chapter 9

"What do you think is taking Ash so long, Brock?" a worried Misty asked her friend as they waited outside the Viridian City Gym.

"I don't know, Misty. I just hope he's not in trouble," Brock replied as he looked anxiously at the two huge men dressed like Roman soldiers that stood guard outside the gym's ornate entrance door.

"Trouble? Did someone say trouble?" sneered a familiar voice.

"Oh no, I hope that's not who I think that is," Misty moaned as she turned around and found herself face-to-face with a purple-haired teenage boy, a crimson-haired girl about the same age, and a Meowth. 

"Prepare for trouble!" began the female half of Team Rocket, whose name was Jessie.

"And make it double!" continued her male counterpart, whose name was James.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket - blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"What are you doing here?" asked an exasperated Brock as the trio finished their Team Rocket motto.

"We could ask you the same thing," said James mockingly.

"We don't have time for your dirty tricks, so get out of here!" shouted Misty angrily.

"We have every right to be here, twerp," Jessie informed the younger redhead. "This is a Team Rocket-run gym, after all."

"Yeah, so maybe the two of you should make like a couple of Beedrill and buzz on outta here!" added Meowth.

"We're not leaving without Ash," Misty declared firmly.

"Hey, that's right. Where is the other twerp?" James wondered out loud as he looked around.

"He's inside, talking with Giovanni," said Brock.

"Gio…what business would the twerp have with the Boss?" asked a confused Jessie. 

Misty, who had been trying hard to contain her rage, finally exploded. "First of all, his name is ASH! And he's not a twerp, either -- he's our friend! And the reason he's inside talking with Giovanni is because it turns out that the man is his _father_! And we wouldn't even be here in the first place if Ash's mom hadn't gotten killed!" Misty, finished with her tirade, buried her head in her hands and began crying. Jessie and James, who had been shocked into silence by Misty's outburst, stared at her in open-mouthed disbelief.

"Did she just say that the twerp is the Boss's son?" James asked his partner.

Jessie didn't answer. When Misty had said that Ash's mother had been killed, she had suddenly had a flashback to when she was not quite five years old. Jessie's mother, like Ash's, had also been a member of Team Rocket. Even now she could still remember the horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach the day the grim-faced Team Rocket executive had come to her, telling her that her mother had disappeared in a plane crash while on a mission to the Andes. And now, the pain of losing her mother – the pain she had carried throughout her life – had suddenly returned: the lonely nights spent crying in her pillow trying to remember what her mother sounded like, her smile, her laugh, the smell of her perfume. And the despair in knowing that her mother was no longer there to console her and never would be again…

Jessie quickly turned around so no one could see the tears forming in her eyes. 

"What's wrong with Jessie?" Meowth whispered to James, who shrugged his shoulders.

"I think you'd better go," Brock told the trio as he tried to console Misty.

Jessie wiped the tears from her face and whirled around. "We're not leaving. We came here to see the Boss, and that's what we're going to do." Jessie shoved aside Brock and Misty and made her way to the front door of the gym. "And while we're in there, we'll check on the twer…Ash." Brock and Misty exchanged surprised glances at Jessie's statement. "Come on, James. Meowth." The two followed behind her as she pushed her way past the guards into the gym.

--- 

Meanwhile, Jiraldan knocked cautiously on the door of Giovanni's office.

"Come in," ordered a brusque voice.

Jiraldan slowly opened the door and was immediately confronted by Giovanni's bodyguard.

"It's all right, Vittorio. Let him enter," Giovanni said as he emerged from a side door. Giovanni then indicated that Jiraldan was to follow him. Jiraldan did so (although rather nervously, especially after their last meeting) and found himself in Giovanni's library. Several books had been removed from their shelves and were strewn about the antique tables in the room. Giovanni pushed aside the open books on the desk in the center of the room to make room for the volume that Jiraldan was carrying in his arms.

"Ah, you've brought the book. Let me see it." Jiraldan placed the huge leather-bound book in the center of the desk. Giovanni opened it to the place his colleague had bookmarked and frowned. "Can you translate this, Jiri? I'm not up on my Latin."

Jiraldan bent over the book and began to read while Giovanni hovered over his shoulder, repeating every word.

"The sorcerer Matteo Peccati, also known as Maldiavolo, possessed a ring in the shape of his faithful Pokémon, Kadabra. All who saw it say that the jewel on its head bewitched their Pokémon, causing them to be possessed by demons."

"Demons?" scoffed Giovanni. "What nonsense."

Jiraldan continued. "These demons made the Pokémon perform many cruel acts. Some said that the demons came from Maldiavolo himself and the ring was how he controlled them. During the Feast of the Harvest in the year 1406, several women swore that they saw Maldiavolo's eyes begin to glow as red as blood and then he uttered a strange incantation, likely invoking the Prince of Demons. A stone wall then collapsed, killing two men and their Rapidash. Several of the men standing nearby tried to pursue Maldiavolo, but he uttered another demonic incantation and none were able to touch him."

"Sounds like a fascinating fellow," murmured Giovanni.

"Maldiavolo was finally brought to justice in 1408 at the hands of those whom he had terrorized for so many years." Jiraldan looked up. "The townspeople finally had enough and burned his house down. When he tried to escape, they tore him and his Kadabra to pieces."

"So what happened to the ring?"

Jiraldan turned his attention back to the text. "After his return to his master, the Prince of Darkness, the ring was buried with its owner, where it remained until this past year." Jiraldan flipped to the front plate of the book. "This book was written in 1699." He then flipped back to the page he was originally reading. "A farmer named Giacomo Giordano digging in his field unearthed the bones of Maldiavolo and his Kadabra. He placed the ring on his own finger and was then taken ill with demonic possession. When he removed the ring, his health returned. Fearing the demons within the ring, he took it to his priest for exorcism. Today it resides in the church of San Gianelli."

"So what happened to the ring after that?" Giovanni asked impatiently as Jiraldan closed the huge volume.

"I'm coming to that," Jiraldan said as he looked around the library. "You said you had a copy of…ah, yes. There it is." He removed a small book covered with red leather and gold binding from a nearby shelf and began searching through the pages until he had located the one he was looking for. "After the siege of San Gianelli in 1818, the ring of Maldiavolo turned up in a museum twenty-seven years later and remained there until 1921, when it mysteriously vanished and was presumed stolen."

"And then it turns up sixty years later in a street vendor's stall on some obscure little island. What a fascinating story," Giovanni said as he reached into his pocket and produced a small box. "And now it belongs to me."

Jiraldan gasped in awe as Giovanni opened the box to reveal a gold ring in the shape of a Kadabra's head. "What? How did you…?"

"You won't believe this, Jiri, but my son brought it to me an hour ago," Giovanni grinned.

"Your son?"

"Yes. Turns out that Delia Ketchum's son is mine as well. And when he came to me to tell me the good news, it turns out that he was carrying this in his pocket. Now how's that for an amazing story?" Giovanni picked up the ring and held it to the light. The crystal in the Kadabra's forehead began to shimmer with a silvery glow. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he murmured. 

"You know, there's another legend about this ring," Jiri said as he stared at the crystal, which was now starting to glow a pale blue. "It says that only the descendants of Maldiavolo are able to control the forces within the ring. Anyone else who possesses it who is not a descendant of Maldiavolo will die a horrible death."

"The curse of Maldiavolo?" smiled Giovanni. 

"Well, something like that," Jiraldan said nervously as he replaced the book in the bookshelf.

"Do you want to hold it again, Jiri?" Giovanni offered the ring to him.

"Uh, no thanks, Giovanni. I'd better be going." He picked up his book and headed for the doorway.

"What's wrong, Jiri? Afraid of the curse?" Giovanni playfully teased.

"I don't know, Giovanni, but there may be something to that. I mean, Delia Ketchum had the ring and she got killed. Professor Oak killed himself shortly thereafter."

"Well, if there is a curse on this ring, then I guess I'm safe," Giovanni smiled as he replaced the ring in its box. "After all, I am the descendant of Maldiavolo Peccati."

--- 

"Are you sure Vittorio said that the twerp was in the south wing?" whispered James as he and Meowth followed Jessie down the darkened hallway.

"Yes, James! Now shut up and follow my lead," she hissed as the three rounded a corner and saw a Team Rocket grunt standing guard at the doorway at the end of the hall. "We're here to relieve you," Jessie told the guard.

The guard snorted. "Yeah, you expect me to believe that the Boss sent three screw-ups like you to guard the kid? Don't make me laugh."

Jessie seized the smirking guard by his shirt and shoved her face into his. "Well, you'd better believe it now, mister! The Boss specifically asked us to come down here and guard his son."

"I believe his exact words were, 'at least this is one job that we can't screw up'!" added James helpfully.

"Why don't you go take a coffee break?" Jessie said as she released her grip on the flustered guard and grabbed his keys.

"And don't come back," Meowth finished as the Team Rocket grunt stormed down the hall. As soon as the guard was out of sight, Jessie tried the keys in the lock until she found the one that opened the door to the bedroom. The trio peeked inside and saw Ash lying unconscious on the bed in the middle of the room. At the sound of the door opening, Pikachu (who had been sleeping at his trainer's side) looked up and growled at the sight of Team Rocket.

"Whoa, looks like someone roughed up Pikachu and the twerp," Meowth observed as the three drew near the bed where Ash lay. As Meowth hopped on the bed, sparks started crackling from the electric mouse's red cheeks as it stood up to protect Ash. "Hey, take it easy, Pikachu," Meowth said as he backed off. "We're not here to hurt ya'. We came here to bust ya' outta dis joint."

"It's true," James reassured the little yellow Pokémon. "We came here to help." As Pikachu eyed Team Rocket skeptically, James and Jessie bent over and peered into Ash's face. 

"Jess, you don't think he's…"

"Well, there's one way to find out." Jessie seized Ash by the shoulders and began to shake him violently. "Hey, twerp! Wake up!" When the throttling didn't produce the desired response, Jessie began slapping Ash's face repeatedly. "I said, wake up!" 

"Geez, she's gonna kill him if he doesn't wake up," observed Meowth.

On the fifth slap, Ash's eyes flew open. "Hey! What are…" Ash was then seized by a fit of coughing caused by Vittorio's choke hold nearly crushing his windpipe. 

"Hooray, Jessie! You did it!" squealed James happily.

"What…what are you doing here?" asked Ash as soon as he got his breath back.

"We came here to help you escape," Jessie said as she helped him to his feet. "Now let's get out of here."

"The coast is clear," announced James as he peered into the hall. 

"I don't get it. Why are you doing this?" Ash asked as they silently made their way down the hall to the gym entrance.

"Because you and I have more in common than you think," Jessie replied. Even though she would never admit it, she felt sorry for Ash because she understood all too well how it felt to lose a mother. "And besides, we couldn't take your friends' whining about how they were worried about you. This was the only way to shut them up." Jessie pointed to a massive door to their right. "Okay kid, there's the door. Now get moving."

"Be sure to put in a good word for us the next time you talk to your dad," James said as he waved good-bye.

"My dad? How did you…?" Ash then remembered something and frantically dug into his pockets. "Oh no! The ring! He's got the ring!"

"Ring? What ring?" asked Jessie.

"Hey, twerp, you're going the wrong way! The exit is over here!" called Meowth as Ash started running in the opposite direction.

"I've gotta get that ring back!" Ash shouted as he dashed up the steps back to Giovanni's office. 

Jessie, James, and Meowth shrugged their shoulders and followed Ash.

"What do you want?" Giovanni's secretary asked the boy that came flying up the steps.

"I…came…" Ash panted as he tried to get his breath back.

"Since this twerp…I mean, boy, is the Boss's son," explained Jessie as the rest of the Team Rocket trio came up behind Ash, "Then he can go wherever he likes. And since the Boss assigned us to be his son's personal bodyguards, then we go wherever he goes."

Ash, James, and Meowth gave Jessie a "what in the world are you talking about" look.

Jessie gave them a "play along" look back and continued. "And since he wants to go in his father's office, then you'd better shut up and do what he says."

"Uh, yeah," Ash spoke up. "Because I'll tell Giovanni…" Jessie quickly nudged him in the ribs. "I mean, my dad…" Ash nearly choked on the words. "If you don't let me in."

With a dirty look in Ash's direction, the secretary reluctantly opened the door to Giovanni's office. 

"So where is dis ring, kiddo?" asked Meowth once they were inside.

"I dropped it under this chair," Ash said as he dropped to his knees and began searching for it. 

"Do you think the Boss could've put it in here?" James asked, pointing to the safe in the far corner.

"Probably," Jessie said as she tried to figure out a way to open it.

"But we don't have the combination," Ash said dejectedly.

"Not yet," Jessie smiled as she looked at James. "Do you remember the day the Boss left us in charge of the gym?"

"How can I not, Jessie?" James replied. "We nearly destroyed it. And that nasty little Togepi…"

"Don't whine about that now," Jessie hissed as she began searching through the drawers of her boss's desk. "Help me look for a small green book."

"Like dis one?" Meowth asked, holding it up in his paws. He had found it in the bottom drawer.

"That's it! The book with all the important numbers the Boss told us about." Jessie snatched the book from Meowth's paws and fumbled through it until she found the page she was looking for. "Aha!" She began turning the dial back and forth on the safe until it clicked open. 

Ash pushed her aside and searched through the contents until he found a small velvet box. Everyone gasped as he opened it to reveal a ring with a gold Kadabra on it.

"Hey, what's this?" James asked as he picked up the ring that was sitting next to the box. 

Ash started trembling as he took the ring from James and realized what it was. "It…that's my mom's ring. It's the ring Professor Oak gave her for her birthday last year."

"But what's it doing in here?" asked Jessie as she shut the door of the safe. 

"They said that when they found her, her ring was gone," Ash said in a trembling voice as he choked back the tears that were forming in his eyes. "That means that Giovanni…he…he killed my mom."

Jessie, James, and Meowth stared at Ash in disbelief as the boy looked down with swimming eyes at his mother's ring. Suddenly, the look of despair on the boy's face was superceded by one of angry determination. He furiously wiped away the tears from his eyes, jammed his mother's ring on his finger, and shoved the box that contained the other ring into his jeans pocket. "Come on, everyone," Ash ordered in a cold, harsh voice. "I'm gonna make that bastard pay for what he did to my mom."


	10. Chapter 10

"I want you to tell me where Giovanni is NOW!" Ash shouted at the middle-aged woman at the desk.

Giovanni's secretary, who was already furious about being bossed around by a smart-aleck kid, replied coldly, "He's at the gym, but…"

Ash dashed down the steps and ran as fast as he could into the darkened gymnasium. "WHERE ARE YOU, YOU SONOFABITCH?!" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Jessie asked as she caught up with him and grabbed him by his jacket. "Are you crazy?"

"The Boss will kill you for calling him that," James gulped.

"Then at least I'll be with my mom again!" Ash retorted as he pulled away from Jessie's grasp and ran to the middle of the floor where the Pokemon battles took place. "GIOVANNI!"

"I'm right here, boy," Giovanni sneered as he flipped a switch and the proscenium where he stood was suddenly bathed in bright light. 

"Come down from there, you bastard!" Ash yelled. "Come down and fight like a man!"

"What's all this about?" Giovanni said as he regarded his son with narrowed eyes.

"It's about this!" Ash held up his hand and Giovanni gasped at the sight of the sapphire ring sparkling on the boy's right pinkie. "And this!" Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out the box that contained the Kadabra ring.

"Where did you get that?" Giovanni demanded. 

Jessie, James, and Meowth, fearing their boss's wrath, quickly ducked under the bleachers surrounding the gym.

"It doesn't matter! All that matters is that you killed my mom, you sonofabitch, and I'm gonna make you pay!"

Giovanni's face twisted into a cruel smile. "Is that what all this is about? Well, I hate to disappoint you again, my son."

"Don't call me that! Don't ever call me that again!" Ash screamed at the man whom he utterly despised.

"Fine. But I didn't kill your mother, if that's why you came here."

"Liar! You're a liar!" Ash shrieked.

"No, I'm not!" Giovanni shot back. "If you came here searching for the truth, then I'll give it to you. And the truth is that I didn't kill your mother. Matter of fact, the two that did kill your mother have been taken care of." Jessie, James, and Meowth went cold with fear at Giovanni's last statement. They had heard tales before of errant Team Rocket grunts that had mysteriously disappeared and had been "taken care of". "Those two idiots I sent to get the ring from your mother got careless. All I asked them to do was bring me the ring back from her."

Ash felt sick. "Then you did kill her! You sent them to kill her!"

"No. Gabe and Angelina even had specific orders not to kill your mother, but they panicked and ruined everything. Rest assured, they won't be making that mistake again."

Now Jessie, James, and Meowth felt sick.

"So you see, Ash," Giovanni continued, "I've done your job for you. I've avenged your mother's death. So now you owe me."

"What? What do you mean?"

Giovanni pointed directly at Ash. "You will take your place beside me as heir to the Peccati family name and heir to Team Rocket and all it stands for. Matter of fact, that ring that you're holding is part of your heritage."

Confused, Ash opened the box and took out the Kadabra ring. As the crystal in the Kadabra's forehead began to sparkle silver, Giovanni smiled.

"Yes, Ash, that ring. I'll bet you didn't know that you were descended from a sorcerer, did you?"

"Sorcerer? What are you talking about? You're mad!"

Giovanni laughed. "No, I'm not mad. But they say that the man who owned that ring was. His name was Maldiavolo -or should I be more specific- Maldiavolo Peccati. And true, he really wasn't a sorcerer. He was a very powerful man. One who knew how to control Pokémon and make them do his bidding. And he did it with that very same ring that you're holding in your hand." Ash stared at the ring as the crystal began to glow a soft violet then a bright electric blue. "Only the descendants of Maldiavolo can control the power within the ring. You and I, Ash -- we are the descendants of Maldiavolo. And together we can rule the world." A horrified Ash watched the crystal glow a deep green. "Think about it, Ash. All Pokémon will do your bidding."

Ash's lip began to tremble as the ring began to sparkle a brilliant yellow. "My mom," he whispered. "She and Professor Oak died because of this ring. And Tracey might, too." He put the ring back into its box. "And that's why I can't let you have it."

Giovanni's face contorted in fury. "You foolish brat! You're throwing away power that men can only dream of!"

"I don't want that kind of power, Giovanni. And I don't want you to have that kind of power, either." Ash turned and began walking towards the door of the gym.

"Nidoking, stop him!" 

Ash whirled around as Giovanni tossed a Poké ball and the giant purple dinosaur-like Pokémon appeared with a roar. Pikachu leapt off of Ash's shoulder.

"I don't care if you are my son," Giovanni said menacingly as he descended from the proscenium. "I will kill you if I have to in order to get that ring back."

"Then that's what you're gonna have to do, Giovanni." 

Giovanni smiled when he saw the challenge in his son's eyes.

"Too bad, Ash. You would have made a strong leader."

Ash smiled at the compliment. He then took the ring out of the box and slipped it on his finger beside the ring that had been his mother's.

"Come and get me, Giovanni."


	11. Chapter 11

The instant Ash placed the ring on his finger, the crystal in the Kadabra's head began to glow a deep, dark red. Suddenly, Nidoking's eyes began to glow the same color as the crystal. Horrified, Giovanni looked at his son and saw that Ash's eyes were also the same color.

"What's going on?" asked Pikachu.

Ash, who suddenly felt like he had been riding on an upside-down roller coaster, turned to his Pokémon in amazement. "Pikachu, when did you learn how to talk?"

"I'm talking the same way I always have," insisted the Pokémon. Suddenly, its eyes also turned the same blood-red shade as Nidoking's. "I'm ready to do your bidding, Master."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Pikachu?"

"I, too, am ready for your orders, Master," growled Nidoking.

"My God, you can understand what they're saying!" exclaimed Giovanni in amazement. "It's true. The legend is true." He lunged for Ash. "Give me that ring!"

"No!" 

As Giovanni reached for the ring, an invisible force threw him backwards against the wall. 

Ash, stunned by what had just happened, gaped open-mouthed at the cursing Giovanni. "I…how did I?" Then realization hit him. "I'm telepathic! I'm telepathic just like Sabrina!" Ash, fascinated by his newfound power, focused on a statue at the far end of the gym. As he concentrated on it, the heavy stone statue began to float in midair. "Wow! This is awesome!" 

Giovanni stood up, rubbed his injured back, then made another lunge for Ash.

"Oh no, you don't!" Ash laughed triumphantly as he sent Giovanni crashing back against the gym wall a second time. _This must be like how Sabrina feels,_ Ash mused as he thought about the telepathic leader of the Saffron City Gym and the similar powers she had.

"I await your orders, Master." 

Ash looked down and a Meowth with blood-red eyes was standing at his feet.

__

Okay, Ash told Meowth without even opening his mouth, _I want you to do a ballet dance. _Ash grinned as the Pokémon began to pirouette.

"What in the world is Meowth doing?" James whispered to Jessie.

"I don't know, but I don't want to stick around and find out," Jessie said as she started creeping stealthily towards the door.

"We can't leave Meowth!" James protested as he followed Jessie under the bleachers and the two crawled for the doorway.

"We're going to get some help, James," Jessie said as she crawled through the doorway and opened a nearby window. "Come on!" she urged him as she climbed through the window and dropped down to the sidewalk below.

With a last glance backward at the dancing Meowth, James gulped then followed his partner out the window.

"You have no idea what you're doing!" Giovanni shouted at the boy who was now entertaining himself by making Meowth and Nidoking dance a _pas de deux_. "You're too young to fully appreciate the real power of the ring. You can't control it." Giovanni slowly got to his feet again and held out his hand. "Give me the ring, boy. Give it to me and I'll teach you how to use the power within it."

Ash whirled around and grinned malevolently at Giovanni. The boy raised his hand and Giovanni immediately crashed into an invisible barrier. As Giovanni tumbled to the ground, he could hear Ash's voice inside his head.

__

You can't touch me, Giovanni. Now how does it feel to not be in control any more?

Giovanni, who was starting to become afraid of his son, reached for another Poké ball. "Go, Machamp!" The powerful fighting Pokemon appeared in a flash of light. "Get him!"

With a smile, Ash looked directly into the charging Pokémon's eyes. It stopped in its tracks as its eyes began to glow blood-red.

"I will follow only your commands, Master," Machamp told Ash as it dropped to its knees before him.

"Oh no," uttered Giovanni hopelessly as he realized what had just happened to his Pokémon.

__

Oh yes, Ash's voice echoed in Giovanni's head once more. _Machamp will only do what I say now. _Then with a terrifying, chilling smile, Ash looked directly into his father's eyes. 

__

It's payback time. Machamp, rip him in two.


	12. Chapter 12

"NO!" Giovanni screamed as he cowered against the wall and threw up his arms to shield himself from the Machamp who was advancing menacingly on him.

Giovanni gasped in terror as the voice inside his head said, _Now, Giovanni, I'm gonna do to you what you did to my mom. _As Machamp picked up Giovanni by the throat and began to strangle him, he struggled desperately and clawed at the Pokémon's massive hands.

"I…I told you…I didn't kill your mother!" Giovanni choked as Machamp's hands tightened further around his neck.

__

Maybe you didn't kill my mom, but you sent those other two that did, continued Ash. _So I'm doing just what you did. I'm not gonna kill you, but I'm telling someone else to._

"You…little…bastard!" Giovanni swore as his face began to turn red.

Ash chuckled. _Yep, guess I am a bastard, am I? Your bastard. And in a minute, I'll be an orphan._ Ash looked directly at Machamp. _Finish him._

"Ash, no!" screamed Misty as she, Brock, Jessie, and James came running into the gym. Directly behind them were Officer Jenny and the entire Viridian City police force.

"Let him go, Ash!" ordered Brock. 

Ash turned and looked directly at his friend. Brock gasped in horror when he saw that Ash's eyes were blood-red. 

__

Why should I let him go, Brock? _He killed my mom._

"What's wrong, Brock?" Misty said as Brock grabbed his head and dropped to his knees.

"It's Ash! I can hear him…inside my head!"

Stunned, Misty started towards Ash but almost immediately slammed against an unseen barrier.

__

No, Misty. Ash told her telepathically. _Stay away. This is between me and Giovanni._

"Ash, no! You can't do this!" Misty pleaded frantically as she got to her feet. "It's wrong!"

"Let the authorities bring him to justice," said Officer Jenny.

"Officer Jenny's right, Ash," said Brock. "It's not up to you to decide how Giovanni should be punished for what he did."

__

But…but he killed my mom, Ash's voice continued, wavering a little.

"But killing _him_ won't make it right," continued Brock. "Matter of fact, it'll make you a murderer just like him!"

__

Then I guess I really am my father's son, am I? Ash said as he turned around to glare at Giovanni, who was still struggling in Machamp's grip.

"NO! No you're not!" shouted Misty, who had also heard Ash's last statement inside her head. "You're Delia Ketchum's son! And she never would've wanted you to do this!"

"Mom…?" Ash's eyes began to swim with tears as he looked down at the two rings on his hand. As he stared at the two of them side by side, his gaze fixed on the small sapphire ring on his pinkie. "Oh, Mom," Ash whispered. Then with a violent gesture, he yanked the Kadabra ring off of his finger and threw it across the room, where it landed at Officer Jenny's feet.

Ash collapsed as Machamp released its grip on Giovanni, who tumbled to the ground coughing and sputtering.

Brock and Misty raced to where their friend lay weeping facedown on the floor.

"Ash?" Misty reached down and gently touched his shoulder.

"Misty?" Ash turned over and threw himself into her arms, sobbing.

"Shh, it'll be all right now," Misty said soothingly as she wrapped her arms tightly around him and began to rock him back and forth.


	13. Chapter 13

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ash?" Brock asked as the three of them stood on the beach that lay just below the Pallet Town cemetery.

"I'm sure, Brock," said Ash as he reached into his pocket and placed a small gold ring on a nearby rock. "Go ahead."

Brock pulled out one of his Poké balls. "Geodude, I choose you!"

"Geodude!" the rock Pokémon cried as it appeared in a flash of bright light.

"Geodude, smash that ring!" Brock ordered. 

The Pokémon raised a huge stony fist and brought it down on the ring, smashing the star-shaped crystal on the Kadabra's forehead into a million bits. 

"Thanks, Geodude. Go, Cyndaquil!" Ash's fire mouse Pokémon appeared with a cry. "Cynadquil, melt that ring down with your Flamethrower."

"Quillllll!" A stream of fire shot out of the Pokémon's mouth as the quills on its back blazed.

"Now it's my turn," Misty announced. "Go, Goldeen!" She threw her Poké ball into the ocean and Goldeen materialized in the water. "Goldeen, use Hydro Pump to cool it down."

"Goldeen," the Pokémon nodded as water shot out of its mouth and onto the puddle of molten gold, which began to steam as the water cooled it. 

"Thanks, Goldeen," said Ash as he picked up the shapeless gold mass. 

Misty took it from him and placed it in her Pokémon's mouth. "Goldeen, I want you to take that as far out in the ocean as you can so no one will ever find it again."

"Goldeen," said the Pokémon in affirmation as it turned around and splashed out to sea.

The three friends watched as the fish Pokémon disappeared out of sight on the horizon.

"We'd better get back," said Brock as he gathered up his backpack. "Tracey's coming home from the hospital today and we've got to get everything ready for his coming-home party."

"I'll catch up with you guys as soon as Goldeen gets back," Misty waved as Brock and Ash headed up the path away from the beach.

As the two boys passed by the cemetery, Ash paused at the entrance. "You go on ahead, Brock. I'll catch up with you in a couple of minutes."

Brock smiled and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Sure, Ash. I understand."

As Brock continued down the road to Pallet, Ash and Pikachu wandered through the cemetery until they came to the two graves lying in the shade of a large oak tree.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Professor Oak," Ash said as he looked down at the flowers wilting on the two graves. "I just wanted to let the both of you know that everything's okay now. And even though I don't know what's going to happen to me once they decide where they're gonna send me, all I know that as long as the two of you are up there looking out for me, I know that I'm gonna be all right." Ash bent down and picked up his Pokémon, who was busy sniffing the few flowers that hadn't faded in the mass of bouquets that blanketed the pair of graves. "Pikachu and I are both gonna be okay, so don't worry." As a tear plopped on the Pokémon's fur, Pikachu leaned up and gave his friend a comforting hug. 

Ash smiled. "Come on, Pikachu. We've gotta get back and get things ready for Tracey. "

And the two of them headed back to Pallet Town.


	14. Chapter 14

EPILOGUE – TWENTY YEARS LATER

A dark-haired man pushing a baby stroller made his way through the cemetery until he came to a huge oak tree. He parked the stroller under the tree and lifted out the tiny, auburn-haired baby that was asleep inside it. Cradling the baby carefully in his arms, the man walked over to the two graves that lay underneath the tree.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Professor Oak," smiled Ash as he looked down at the two headstones shining in the morning sun. "I brought somebody here to meet you." He smiled at the infant peacefully snoozing in his arms. "I'd like for you to meet Delia Ashley. I always thought Ashley was a better name for a girl than a guy…no offense, Professor Oak." Ash tucked the blanket around his daughter's chin and lightly stroked her cheek. "Her hair's almost exactly the same color as yours was, Mom." Ash shifted his daughter to the crook of one arm and reached inside his pocket. "Here, sweetheart," he whispered to the sleeping baby as he held up the sapphire ring that had once been his mother's. "This is yours now." The baby opened her eyes for a fraction of a second, yawned, then shut them again. "Well, I'll hang on to it until you're old enough to wear it." Ash tucked the ring back inside his pocket and turned around at the sound of a twig snapping.

"Hey, Ash," said Gary as he came wandering up the path. Ash lifted a finger to his lips, and Gary smiled slightly at the sight of the baby asleep in her father's arms. "So this is your kid, huh?" Gary peeked inside the blanket at the auburn-haired little girl. "Well, she's definitely better looking than you. Good thing she took after Misty in that department."

"Thanks, Gary," Ash said dryly as he placed his daughter back inside her stroller. 

"What's her name?"

"Delia Ashley."

"Name her after your mom, huh?" Gary said as he looked down at the pair of graves.

"And your grandfather, too," Ash said, nodding in the direction of the headstone that read "Samuel Ashley Oak."

Gary was momentarily taken aback by this piece of news. "Thanks, I guess," he said somewhat awkwardly. Gary read the name on his grandfather's headstone silently. "You know, Ash, all these years I believed that Grandpa liked you more than me."

"I don't think that's true, Gary, but you can believe whatever you like."

"For crying out loud, Ash, you're named after him! And when I learned the truth, I hated you. Hated you and your mother." He looked at the headstone next to his grandfather's. "Because I thought that if it hadn't been for your mom, Grandpa would still be alive."

Ash felt his hackles rising. It was the long-standing argument that they had never been able to resolve.

"I'm not going get into a fight with you, Gary. So I'm going to leave now." Ash reached for his daughter's stroller.

"Wait, Ash." 

Ash paused in mid-reach then turned back to face his lifelong rival.

"What I was going to say," Gary continued, "was that now that Molly and I are engaged, I understand now how it feels to love someone like that. Like the way Grandpa loved your mom. And now I can understand why he did what he did, although I don't think he made the right decision."

Ash regarded Gary silently for a moment. "Grief makes people do things they wouldn't normally do."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, Ash. And I also understand why Grandpa felt the way he did about you, too."

"You do?"

"Yeah. It's kind of like how it is with me and TJ. Even though he's Molly's kid and not mine, I don't love him any less because of that. Matter of fact, TJ needs a father now more than ever. Especially after Todd ran out on him and Molly."

Ash smiled. "I've seen the two of you together. You'll make a good stepdad."

Gary raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Thanks." He then peered over at the baby in the stroller, who was starting to stir. "Maybe when she's a little older, she and TJ can play together."

"I think she'll like that. Oops, looks like she's starting to wake up. I'd better get her home so Misty can feed her." Ash smiled at his brown-eyed daughter, who cooed as her father softly touched her cheek. "How's things at the lab?" Ash asked as he began pushing the stroller, and he and Gary headed down the path running through the middle of the cemetery.

"I'm busy holding down the fort while my future father-in-law is in the Orange Islands studying a rare flock of emerald-eyed Dragonair. Oh, that reminds me…I heard from Tracey the other day."

"How's he doing?"

"He and May are fine. You wouldn't believe how much money those two make running Pokemon-watching cruises out of Valencia Island. Sometimes I think I'm in the wrong business."

Ash grinned. "Nahh, you're doing all right, Gary."

"Well, I try not to spend a lot of time in the lab -- I'd rather be out at the preserve. TJ likes playing with the Ponyta. I promised him that when he turns ten I'll give him one."

The two men had reached the cemetery entrance when the baby began to whimper. Ash picked up his daughter and held her out to Gary. "Say hello to Professor Gary Oak, Ashley." 

Gary grinned at the gurgling baby. "Hey, kiddo. Stop by my place when you turn ten and I'll give you your first Pokémon, too." Gary then smiled at the baby's father. "I'll be sure to save her a Pikachu." With a wave, Gary headed off in the opposite direction.

With a grin, Ash nuzzled his daughter and put her back into her stroller. "Let's head home, Ashley. Your Grandpa Brock said he was going to stop by later and cook some of his famous bacon double cheeseburgers for lunch."

And father and daughter headed for home.


	15. Chapter 15

**__**

Author's note: I had originally planned to end this story at Chapter 14, but after reading several reviews, I decided that one more chapter was necessary. And when you're through reading this, go read and review Blackjack Gabbiani's "Amethyst Remembrance", which helped inspire me to complete this fic in the first place.

"Professor?" 

No response. He knocked on the door again, louder this time. 

"Professor?" He tried the doorknob and to his surprise, the door opened easily. 

__

At least he finally got some sleep, he sighed at the sight of his friend curled up on the bed. But then he noticed something odd…why did he have a pink sweater over his face?

And then a chill ran up his spine. 

__

Oh no…oh God, no. 

He held his breath for a moment and realized that it was too quiet. The only sound in the room when he had left it earlier had been his sleeping friend's slow, quiet breathing – and that sound was now gone. He strained his ears for any sound, any sound at all…but there was none except for the frantic hammering of his heart echoing in his ears.

And then he saw the empty syringe lying on the floor next to the rubber tourniquet.

__

Oh no, oh no…

With trembling legs, he drew closer to the bed.

"Professor?" he whispered in a shaky voice. No reply.

He slowly reached out and touched the older man's arm and jumped back in horror when he felt how cold it was. Too frightened to even look underneath the sweater, he stared with wide-eyed terror at the body of his dead friend. He knew he was dead – there was no point in even checking to see if he was still alive.

__

He did it. Oh God, he did it.

He fell to his knees and started sobbing hysterically.

"No, no….oh no!" 

"Tracey! Tracey, sweetheart, wake up!" 

Tracey awoke with a start and found that he was lying in his own bed. The dark-haired woman lying awake next to him was looking at him with concerned eyes.

"You had another nightmare, Tracey," May Sketchit said as she reached over and wrapped her arms around her husband. As she rested her head on his bare chest, she could feel his heart pounding rapidly against her cheek. "It's okay, Tracey," she whispered soothingly. "I'm here now. You're safe." 

Tracey sighed and pulled his wife closer to him. Twenty years and he was still having nightmares about that awful day. Moaning slightly, he reached up and rubbed his temple.

"Do you still have a headache, darling?"

Tracey nodded. Ever since his near-fatal encounter with Team Rocket twenty years ago, he had been plagued with intermittent headaches. And May knew every time her husband had one of his headaches, it would almost always be followed by a nightmare.

"Maybe you should go take something," she suggested as gently kissed him.

Tracey nodded and slid out of bed. He made his way to the kitchen and found the bottle of ibuprofen in one of the cabinets. He downed two pills, then followed them with a shot of vodka. Even though he didn't drink as much as he used to, he found that the alcohol helped him sleep better and dulled the pain.

"Daddy?" 

Startled, Tracey turned to see a brown-haired little boy of about five standing in the kitchen doorway. 

"Why aren't you in bed, Sammy?"

The name had been May's idea. She had been close to her grandfather and wanted to honor his memory by naming their firstborn child after him. What was surprising was that the boy looked eerily like his great-grandfather had at his age. Sometimes that haunted Tracey, too.

The little boy clutched his stuffed Marill toy closer to his chest. "I…I heard you yelling and you sounded like you were scared, Daddy. I got scared, too."

"I'm sorry if I scared you, Sammy," Tracey said as he sat down at the kitchen table and his son climbed into his arms. "Daddies gets nightmares, too. Just like you do sometimes."

"Mommy says that if you get scared, the best thing to do is to find someone or something to hug." The little boy reached up and wrapped his arms tightly around his father. "Don't be scared, Daddy. I'm here now."

"Thank you, Sammy," Tracey said as he hugged his son tightly to him. "Thank you."

--- 

The tall, elegantly-dressed man stood in the hallway of the funeral home reading the list of services until he found the name "Peccati". He made his way down the hall to the first parlor on the right and surveyed the crowd. Most of the mourners were Team Rocket members, both present and past. In one corner of the room a blue-haired man and a woman with bright red hair, both of whom appeared to be in their late thirties or early forties, were busy trying to keep a red-haired little boy and blue-haired girl -- obviously twins -- from chasing an elderly Meowth around the room.

__

They look familiar, the elegant man thought as he watched the adults attempt to control the two toddlers.

"Miya! Jimmy! Leave Meowth alone!" the red-haired woman snapped as the little boy grabbed the Meowth by the tail and held it down while his sister tied a pink bow around its neck. 

The blue-haired man sighed. "Forget it, Jess. As long as they don't strangle Meowth, let them play."

"I'm getting too old for dis," sighed the Meowth resignedly as the little girl wrapped her arms around the Pokemon's neck and hugged it tightly. "Gahh!"

The man smiled and went into the adjacent room where an open casket sat against the opposite wall. Seated next to the casket were three young women, all in their twenties. The dark-haired woman sitting closest to the casket, spotting the latest mourner to arrive, stood up and went over to him.

"It was good of you to come, Jiri," she said as she extended her hand. 

"Thank you, Tessa. Or should I say, Madam Boss?" Jiraldan smiled slightly as he took her hand in his and kissed it softly.

"Rest assured, Jiri," Giovanni's eldest daughter said with a determined look in her eye, "That even though my father is gone, I will still continue to carry on his business dealings. Papa always spoke highly of you and your contributions to Team Rocket. Your partnership with us will continue."

"Thank you again, Tessa," Jiraldan said as he released her hand and went over to the casket were Giovanni lay. 

__

Oh Gio, you don't look anything like the man I knew, Jiraldan sighed sadly as he looked at the frail, skeleton-like man lying in the casket. Even though Giovanni had only been in his sixties, the cancer that had taken his life had ravaged his body so much that he looked like an old, old man. Jiraldan had gone to see him a month before he died and had been shocked by Giovanni's appearance.

"With all my money, Jiri, the doctors can do nothing for me," Giovanni coughed as he struggled to sit up in his bed. "How's that for irony? I spent my whole life trying to get all my money and power and it won't help me now."

"Gio, are you sure there's nothing...?"

"Yes, Jiri, I've been to dozens of doctors and there's nothing more they can do for me. All they can do now is make the end a little less painful. Sit down." He pointed to a chair next to his bed. "Why I wanted you to come today was so that I could tell you personally that I'm leaving you a quarter of my estate. The rest will be divided among my daughters." Jiraldan's mouth fell open in shock. "It's my way of showing you gratitude for all you've done for me through the years."

"Gio, I don't know what to say other than 'thank you'. But you don't have to…"

"Spare me the crap about how I don't have to do this because I'm not really dying and they're going to find a way to make me well. I'm dying, Jiri. Deal with it." Giovanni leaned back on his pillow. "Tessa will take over Team Rocket, of course. One thing I'm grateful for is that at least I have some time left to get my affairs in order. I have no regrets, Jiri. No regrets at all. Well, except for one."

Jiraldan looked at his friend curiously. "What?"

"The ring, Jiri. The ring. Haven't you ever wondered what things would've been like if the ring hadn't been destroyed?"

Jiraldan's mind flashed back to a scene twenty years ago.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S BEEN DESTROYED?" Giovanni raged as Jiraldan cowered against the wall.

"It's true," the younger man gulped. "The boy destroyed the ring." Jiraldan ducked as his partner sent a paperweight flying in his direction, then watched as Giovanni slumped down on the rococo desk and buried his head in his hands.

"Giovanni?" Jiraldan said softly once he felt it was safe to get up.

"What?" was the harsh reply.

"Giovanni, are you all right?"

Giovanni lifted his head, looked at his partner, and sighed. "What do you think, Jiri?"

Jiraldan slowly got to his feet and went over to the small bar in the corner of his office. "Do you want a drink, Giovanni? I could use one." 

"You are the only other person in this world who knew what that ring meant," Giovanni said as he took the glass of scotch from his companion. Jiraldan watched in amazement as Giovanni downed his in one gulp. "Stupid brat. I should have killed him when I had the chance." 

"How much longer do you think you can hide from the authorities, Giovanni?" Jiraldan asked nervously as he sipped his drink.

"As long as necessary," Giovanni replied as he reached over to pour himself another drink from the flask that Jiraldan had put on the desk in front of him. "And as long as you keep your mouth shut," he said with a threatening glance in Jiraldan's direction.

"Giovanni, you know I'd never tell anyone your whereabouts," Jiraldan assured his friend. "Why would I have helped you escape in the first place?"

Giovanni finished his second drink and placed the glass down on the desk. "I don't know, Jiri. Why did you?" 

Jiraldan said nothing. 

"Were you afraid that I'd tell the police that you were the one who led me to Delia Ketchum in the first place? That you helped murder her just like my son said I did?" Giovanni smirked at the sight of Jiraldan's stricken face. "Oh, don't worry, Jiri. I won't tell anyone if you don't. And besides, like I told my son, I didn't kill her."

Giovanni helped himself to another drink. "Women are nothing but trouble, Jiri. Oak was definitely a fool for killing himself over one." Giovanni downed his third scotch with amazing rapidity and smiled crookedly at his companion. "Have you ever been in love, Jiri?"

Jiraldan shook his head.

"Men are so much better, anyway," Giovanni said as put down his empty glass, seized Jiraldan roughly, and kissed him on the lips.

__

No, I don't regret losing the ring at all, Jiraldan thought as he silently whispered farewell to Giovanni Peccati one last time.

--- 

Ash had just finished giving his daughter her 5 AM bottle and was getting ready to go back to bed himself when he decided to see if the morning paper had arrived yet. He opened the door and was surprised to see an envelope taped to the door labeled "Ash Ketchum". Puzzled, Ash removed the envelope, picked up the newspaper lying on the porch, and went back inside.

__

Maybe it's an invitation to Gary and Molly's wedding, he thought as he tossed the newspaper facedown on the couch, sat down, and opened the letter. Even though the expensive-looking stationery appeared at first to be an invitation, it wasn't. Inside the envelope was a letter penned in elegant handwriting that Ash didn't recognize. Ash unfolded the letter and started reading.

__

I'm sure you've heard by now that your father is dead.

Ash went cold with fear. 

"My father…" he whispered. Ever since the events of twenty years ago, Ash had never again referred to Giovanni being his father. Only Misty and a few close friends knew his secret, but Ash never discussed it with anyone. It was one secret that he would rather let die. 

"Die...Giovanni's dead?" 

Ash picked up the newspaper and started searching through it. The headline was on the second page in small print: _Former Viridian City Gym Leader Dies_. 

"Former Viridian City Gym Leader Giovanni Peccati died Tuesday of liver cancer at the age of sixty-four… " Ash quickly scanned through the rest of the article and returned to the letter.

__

Enclosed you will find instructions to obtain the money that is rightfully yours. 

"What?" Ash couldn't believe that Giovanni had left him money, or anything, for that matter.

__

Giovanni left it to me, but it should go to you for two reasons. One, you are his son and heir.

"I'm not that sonofabitch's heir!" Ash said angrily as he made a move to rip the letter in two, but then calmed down and decided to continue reading.

__

And two, because it will help alleviate the guilt that I've been carrying around with me for the last twenty years, for I was the one who led Giovanni to your mother. I was the one who told him about your mother's ring, so I am the one truly responsible for her death.

"What?! Oh God…Mom…" 

Ash looked over at the collection of family pictures on the mantle over the fireplace. In a silver-framed photo at the far left end, his mother, clad in her favorite gardening hat and apron, smiled out at him. Shaking, Ash continued reading.

__

Considering that you have in the past thwarted my plans, I was at first hesitant to do this, but guilt is a powerful thing. It has not been easy having to live with the knowledge that I was responsible for the death of an innocent woman. By accepting the money, I hope that this will help right the wrong that I've done.

You were right to destroy the ring of Maldiavolo. Others, including myself, would have come looking for it. At least now we will both have some peace.

The letter was unsigned, but Ash noticed that the expensive-looking paper was embossed with a raised monogram of the letter "J". He spent the better part of an hour reading the letter over and over, trying to figure out who its sender was. Ash gave up as the sun started peeking over the horizon and returned to bed just in time to hear his daughter whimpering for her next feeding.

---

Several days later, a dark-haired man stood in front of a large marble crypt in a shady corner of the Viridian City Cemetery. On the side of the crypt in large capital letters was the name "Peccati". "Aldo….Sofia…Giovanni…" Ash shuddered. Just saying Giovanni's name still gave him chills.

"I suppose I should say something like I'm sorry that you're dead, but I'm not," Ash addressed the bronze plaque with the name _Giovanni Peccati_ on it. "You may have been my biological father, but you never really were my father. Professor Oak, Brock…they were more of a father to me than you ever were." 

Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter that had been left on his door a few days earlier. "At first, I wasn't going to take your money, but Misty and I talked it over and decided that we're going to use the money to help take care of Ashley."

Ashley had been born nine weeks premature. She had spent the first month of her life in intensive care, and the doctors had warned that she would likely be delayed developmentally and would require long-term therapy. 

"At least that way you can say that you did one good thing in your life. You helped take care of your granddaughter. And that's what a good father –and grandfather-- would do."

And as Ash headed down the path that led out of the cemetery, the man who had been watching him from a distance smiled.

"Bravo, O Chosen One."

THE END


End file.
